Princes of the Universe
by dreamersrequiem
Summary: Four young boys, four very different backgrounds, and one clear goal; to make as much mischief as they possibly can.
1. Prologue

Remus Lupin was always a good little boy. Dutifully, he would follow his mother from their small cottage up in the hills and down to the village when she had to run errands. At the age of six, he was a keen learner. He would listen with rapt attention as his mother informed him of the world around them and why they weren't allowed to do magic in front of those in the village.

He was always so interested, asking his mother and father various questions about the plants and animals around them, about the people and shops in the village and, memorably for his parents, one night he questioned them on the stars and moon.

Branwen made up stories for her young son, while John allowed him to sit in his workshop as he conducted his work. John Lupin managed to work at two different jobs, though both in a similar vain. As a carpenter, he repaired and fixed magical items for his wizarding world customers, whilst making and fixing furniture and other objects for those in the village.

"When I grow up," Remus exclaimed, watching his father work one day, "I want to be just like daddy!"

They loved their son, and as all parents did, imagined great things for him.

What Remus was not aware of was the fact that he had been born as a twin; his twin brother Romulus had died not long after Branwen had given birth to them, but his parents thought Remus was a bit too young to be told that. So they kept it quiet, and every year, the day before Remus' birthday, they would drop him off at John's parents' house, and drive to the small cemetery where Romulus was buried.

It was approaching Remus' seventh birthday when his grandparents phoned to say John's father was ill, and they couldn't look after him as they usually did.

Branwen and John were at a loss as for what to do with Remus. He had a few friends in the village, but out of respect for the dead, you were unable to apparate straight to the grave you were visiting, and as it was one of very few fully wizarding graveyards, the grounds were huge. They wouldn't be back until after dark, and they didn't want to risk leaving Remus in the care of Muggles for too long.

Of course, they knew a few wizarding families, but Remus had rarely met them; he was a shy, quiet boy and very timid. Around people he didn't know, he would be unhappy.

"We're going to have to stay home," Branwen reasoned, late one night after Remus had gone to bed.

John sighed, running a hand through his wiry brown hair. It had started to thin out not long ago, he no longer carried the thick, brown hair he'd had in his youth. "I don't like the idea of not going."

"We can go after his birthday!" Branwen sat on the edge of the armchair, watching her husband as he shook his head.

"No...why don't we take Remus? It's about time he knew."

"Maybe he's too young," she mumbled, not wanting to tell her son. She wanted to preserve his innocence, wanted to keep that light shining in his eyes for as long as possible.

John knelt in front of her, taking her hands in his and smiling into her light hazel eyes. "He deserves to know, Bran."

"I know," she whispered, hanging her head. "Fine. We'll take him. But we'll leave as early as possible. We won't be able to apparate outside the grounds with him, and I'd rather not have him there long past dark."

"Of course." He leant forward, kissing his wife's forehead. "We should get some sleep."

* * *

Remus was eager to find out where they were going, when he was informed that he would not be going to his grandparent's as usual. Branwen was making sandwiches for the journey, as John flicked through _The Daily Prophet, _Remus munching on his toast as he asked what they were doing that day.

With a sigh, John slid his reading glasses off his face and placed them on the table. All this magic, he thought, and yet there was little they could do for his eyesight. Some things, he knew, just could not be helped. He glanced at his wife, who placed the butter knife down and took a seat next to Remus on the table.

"Remus," she began, reaching forward and taking her son's hand in her own. "When you were born, you had a twin brother."

She let this sink in, watching as Remus scrunched his face up and stared at his plate. "Where is he now?" he asked, glancing sideways at his mother. "Didn't you love him like you love me?"

"Oh sweetie..." Branwen sighed, looking at John.

"Of course we loved him," John smiled gently at his son. "We loved him very, very much. But he...he had to go to heaven, Remus. Like granny did, before. Remember?"

Remus seemed to consider this, his eyes darting upwards. His granny – Branwen's mother – had died when he was four, and it was then that the concept of heaven had been explained to him. "So he's with granny?"

"Yes!" Branwen nodded. "He is. And on e day, far, far in the future, we might see them again."

"Did he have a name?"

"Romulus," John whispered.

Remus nodded slowly. "Can we visit him like granny?"

"Yes," Branwen squeezed her son's hand, "every year mummy and daddy go visit him the day before your birthday, because it is his birthday, too. And this year, we thought it'd make Romulus very happy, in heaven, if you were to come, too."

Remus' face broke into a smile. "I'd like that."

"Good!" John clapped his hands together, glancing at Branwen. Both looked relieved, happy that it had gone so easily. "Go get dressed, son, and we'll head off."

"OK!" Remus leapt from his chair and disappeared from the kitchen. Soon they could hear him clattering about upstairs, getting ready. Branwen let out a deep sigh.

"That was...easier than I thought."

"He's a bright kid," John leant back in his chair, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Sometimes I really think we underestimate him."

When Remus was ready, he appeared in the doorway of the kitchen, clutching his favourite toy. The slightly battered rabbit looked at Branwen and John, as Remus stepped towards them. "Bun-Bun wants to go see Romulus, too. He said he wants to keep him company in heaven because they might not have toys there."

Branwen almost burst into tears. Instead, she turned away and gazed out of the window.

John marvelled at his generous, kind and loving son. "Yes, Remus. I think Romulus would like that."

So, for the first time, the family, as a whole, gathered together and began the journey to the cemetery.

* * *

It was already starting to get dark by the time they were halfway to the grave. The Knight Bus had dropped them off right at the entrance of the graveyard, and Remus, exhausted by the long journey, was half asleep in his father's arm, being carried across the cemetery in the man's strong grip.

Branwen carried the toy, holding it gently and glancing, every so often, at the form of her husband carrying their son. She smiled at the pair of them, before glancing up to the sky.

A large, white moon hung in the sky above them, the clouds drifting across its full face. Branwen shuddered. She'd heard rumours, recently, of a werewolf in the area, of wizards and witches hearing howls in the middle of the night when they'd come to visit dead relatives. The cemetery was surrounded by a forest, bewitched so that any Muggle who tried to get through it get disorientated and end up back on the other side.

Plenty of space for a werewolf to roam.

Still, there had been no attacks. Branwen knew that much. She hadn't mentioned the matter to John, not wanting to worry him, but now the thought sent a shiver down her spine and she hoped they could get to Romulus' grave soon.

"Here we are," John whispered, his voice carrying on the wind as he gently laid Remus down in the swaying grass. The boy was still dozing, and neither parent had the heart to wake him. They stood in front of the grave, Branwen kneeling down to place the toy rabbit on it.

"Hello Romulus," she reached forward, brushing a few overgrown plants from the grave's face. "We brought your brother to say hello."

John rested a hand on Branwen's shoulder, squeezing gently as she spoke to their dead son.

They only had their backs turned on Remus for a few minutes.

"Remus," Branwen breathed his name softly, staring at the spot where he had been sleeping. John turned around, eyes jumping around the graveyard, searching for his son.

"_Remus_!" he called, coming to his senses quicker than his wife. Branwen felt her knees weaken beneath her, felt her blood run cold.

Then they heard it.

The howl.

The sound carried across the cemetery from the forest, and Branwen's face went white, the blood draining from it as John pulled his wand out of his pocket, taking off at a sprint, calling his son's name the whole time.

"Branwen!" he shouted behind him. "Look that way!" He gestured behind him, and silently his wife nodded, withdrawing her own wand.

"Lumos!" she cried, lifting the wand up high to get a large area covered by the light. She darted away from John, and soon both of their voices rose up in the air, calling the boy's name over and over again.

Panic drenched Branwen in sweat; she felt it dripping off her forehead, felt her heart speed up and her palms grow clammy. Where was he? He couldn't have got far, surely...

"_Dad!_"

The screech came from somewhere close to John, and Branwen whirled around, running towards her husband as he sped up, following the voice. It had been scared, terrified and Branwen could only send a prayer up into the sky.

"Let him be OK," she whispered, ignoring the tears suddenly streaming down her face. "Let him be OK!"

His scream ripped through the air and ripped through Branwen.

Like a lightning bolt, the thought flashed through her; I didn't want him here. This is John's fault.

Another howl filled the air and Branwen was suddenly speeding past John, leaping over graves and screaming "I'm coming, Remus!" She lifted her wand, not stopping even as she spotted _it_.

A large, grey beast lifted its head and glared at her, strangely human hazel eyes staring at her, _daring _her to come any closer. It was panting, blood dripping from its teeth, a piece of flesh in its mouth. She didn't stop. Branwen was overcome with adrenaline, as she lifted her wand and cried out a curse.

A bolt of red light shot from her wand, hitting the beast between its eyes. It let out a whimper, turned and ran, loping over the grass and all too soon, disappearing from sight. She almost chased after it. She wanted to kill it, she wanted to see its body chopped up and discarded across the floor for the vultures to peck at.

"Branwen!" John's sharp cry brought her to her senses and she whirled around, dropping to her knees beside her son. Remus was whimpering, holding his leg as he stared, wide eyed and scared, at Branwen.

"I'm s-s-s-sorry, mummy..."

"It's OK," she reached forward, drawing him into her arms as tears came, uninvited, streaming down her face. They rolled onto the head of the small boy.

"I just w-w-w-wanted to go for a w-w-w-walk..."

He was shivering, clutching onto the lapels of her jacket. The wound was large, and John quickly took off his own jacket, wrapping it around the boy's leg and tying it up.

He attempted to take Remus from his mother.

Branwen held on tightly, shaking her head and staring at John with a glare fixed in steely determination. "I'm stronger," he whispered, and Branwen, reluctantly, let go of the child, tilting her head forward as John stood up.

His arms cradled Remus, as the boy wrapped his small arms around John's neck. He whimpered in pain as John set off across the cemetery, Branwen scrambling to her feet and following closely behind, wand still raised, lighting the path in front of them.

_Please, _she glanced around at the graves surrounding them; _I don't want to have to come here to see two of my sons..._


	2. Chapter One

James Potter, age eleven and two months exactly, came bounding down the stairs. The sun streamed in through the windows of the house in Godric's Hollow, lighting up the well kept carpets and the portraits that hung in the house.

"James!" A voice boomed from the stairway, and James backtracked, jumping back up two steps until he stood in front of a regal looking man with the same sparkling hazel eyes that James possessed. The only thing particularly odd about this man was that he was not exactly there; instead, he sat in one of the portraits, clutching a wand in one hand as, with the other, he ran a hand through his messy brown hair.

"Morning Richard," James greeted, giving the man a quick bow. Richard Potter was James' great-great-great granddad, who, before he died, had himself convinced he was the reincarnation of Richard III. He had been a little bit crazy, and although James found him great fun in the house where he was an only child, he didn't think he would have liked to have met him when he was alive. "How are you today, your majesty?"

"Very well, young prince," Richard winked at James. "You do seem to be in a cheerful mood today!"

"An owl arrived!" James exclaimed. "It might be my letter!"

"Of course," Richard nodded slowly. "Off to school soon, then?" 

"Yep!" James nodded eagerly.

"I will miss you," Richard sighed. "But you have much to learn! Off you go young Potter. Embark on your great adventure and..."

"Thanks Richard!" James called, already leaping once more down the stairs, a grin plastered on his face as he landed and sprinted through the living room, barrelling into the kitchen where his parents were.

Thomas and Martha Potter had not been young having James, and they'd always struggled to keep up with his exuberant energy. But, they handed it as best they could, and now, Martha turned around, lightly scolding her son for running through the house.

"Sorry mum!" he called, plucking a piece of toast from the air as Martha tried to levitate it towards the table. Thomas chuckled, laying down his newspaper and watching his son. "What was with the owl?"

"Hmm," Thomas pretended to think about it, as he picked up the envelope from the table, shielding the crest from James' view with his hand. "You know what, I don't think it's very important, James. It's not your birthday coming up, or Christmas, so why someone would be writing to you..." he sighed, unable to avoid the grin stretching across his face as James began to bounce on the balls of his feet, reaching out his hands and grasping at thin air.

"Lemme see dad!"

Thomas chuckled as he put the letter on the table and James leapt onto a chair. He whooped when he saw the crest on the back, and quickly tore the letter open.

"It's from Hogwarts!" he cried. "I got in!"

Martha smiled, as she finished putting the breakfast on the table and sat down with her son and husband. "Of course you did," she chuckled. "Now, let's see the list."

James handed her a piece of parchment, and Martha scanned it, nodding every couple of lines. "Hmm, what do you think Thomas, an owl or a cat?"

"Not a cat," Thomas growled. "They're nasty creatures. And very feminine, too. You want an owl, son. They're much more useful."

James nodded eagerly, listening to his parents comments on the book list. "Let's see...oh Thomas, you remember Matthew Boggs, don't you? Looks like he finally published that book of his!"

"Well he spent long enough writing it. Defence, is it?"

"Yes," Martha nodded, smiling at James. "We'll take you to Diagon Alley next week. Now, go get dressed. We should go see your grandparents..."

* * *

"Of course he got in!" The snappy voice came from a tall woman with dark black hair and fierce eyes, as she stood in the kitchen, arms crossed and glaring at her husband. Her oldest child and son stood beside the table, looking at the letter clutched in his hands. "As if there was any doubt!" She rolled her eyes, reached forward and snatched the letter from her son's hand. "And you will be in Slytherin, Sirius, understand? Not like your cousin!"

"At least she was in Ravenclaw," her husband mumbled, shaking his head. "Could have been worse."

"Can I go tell Reg?" The eleven year old asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet. His mother nodded, before she delved into a discussion with her husband on when to take the son to get their school supplies. As Sirius left, he heard her mutter something about Drumstrang, before he got out of earshot and started to run up the stairs, eager to tell his younger brother the good news.

He found Regulus in his bedroom, head buried in a book as usual. When the door opened, he leapt up and stuffed the book under his pillow, staring at Sirius with a guilty look on his face. Sirius grinned.

"S'just me, don't worry. What you reading now?"

Regulus slipped his hand under the pillow and withdrew the book, showing Sirius the cover. The older brother moved further into the room, sat on Regulus's bed and took the book from his hands. "Alice in Wonderland, hm. Any good?"

"Yeah!" The young boy nodded eagerly. "It's about this girl who follows a white rabbit down a rabbit hole and she ends up in this weird place and..."

Sirius chuckled, reaching out and ruffling his little brother's hair. "Alright, calm down. Just don't let mum catch you reading it. Did Meda get it for you?"

"Yeah! She asked Ted for me. Gave me a bunch of them."

"And you're hiding them under the floorboards, yeah?"

"'Course!" Regulus nodded, a grin stretching across his face.

"Good. Listen, Reg, I got into Hogwarts."

"Oh." The boy's face sank, the light in his eyes dulled just ever so slightly before he realised what he was doing and forced himself to smile at his big brother. "That's...that's great, Sirius."

"I'm not going for a couple of weeks," Sirius informed him. "But I'll write every day, OK? And I'll find some muggle-borns for you, get you some more books."

"Thanks!" Regulus threw his arms around Sirius, squeezing tightly. "I'll miss you, Sirius."

"You'll be there soon," Sirius whispered, holding tightly onto his little brother. "Just...just keep strong, alright?"

Against his chest, Sirius felt his little brother nodded. They held onto each other for a while longer, Sirius suddenly fearful for his little brother, scared of the change that was coming their way.

* * *

In a small town not far from Manchester, a young boy clutched very tightly onto his own letter. The letters had been sent across the country, reaching homes of children who had shown magic potential. In particular, this boy was shocked and surprised at his own letter.

"Miss Rachel!" he cried, lifting his head and staring at the door of the kitchen. "Miss Rachel!" he called again, a large grin stretching across his face as a young woman in her early twenties emerged, brushing her hands on an apron as she looked at the boy.

"What is it, Peter?" she asked kindly, smiling gently at him.

"I got in!" He leapt into the air, bounding down the corridor and holding the letter to her. "I got into Hogwarts!"

"Oh Peter!" She clasped her hands together before quickly enveloping him in a hug. "That's wonderful news! Your parents will be so proud when they hear!"

Peter nodded eagerly, thinking of his mother's kindly face and his father's stern gaze, both would be overjoyed. For years, they had suspected their son had no magical ability, that he might be a squib, and as a family they'd waiting in anticipation all summer for the letter to arrive.

"Kitty!" Rachel called, letting go of the boy and taking his hand, leading him into the kitchen. "Kitty!"

A pop filled their ears and suddenly a small creature, smaller that Peter himself, stood before them. Her ears were pricked, sensing the energy in the air. "Mistress Rachel called Kitty?" she questioned, looking from the boy to the woman.

"Kitty, go to Mrs Pettigrew's office. Tell her we have some good news for her." Kitty nodded, before disappearing with a quick pop. "This deserves a celebration!" Rachel clapped her hands together again, beaming down at the smaller than average boy. "How about we make cupcakes, Peter?"

"Oh yes please Miss Rachel!" Peter grinned, grabbing a chair and pulling it up beside the counter so that he could help.

Rachel withdrew the items they would need for the batter, before casting a glance at Peter. She knew that, with him gone, she'd lose the main part of her job. She had been nanny slash maid for the Pettigrews for the last couple of years. Although they had Kitty, the house-elf, the parents had wanted some human company for their son while they were busy working.

Both had jobs at the Ministry of Magic, Mrs Pettigrew worked for the Improper Use of Magic offices, while Mr Pettigrew held a higher position, working as a liaison between the wizarding community and magical creatures with a degree of intelligence. Neither Rachel or Peter knew exactly what he did, just that it kept him away from home for long hours and it involved a fair amount of travelling.

"Rachel," a tired voice echoed from the fireplace, and both nanny and boy whirled around. "Kitty told me you had some news." The lines on Mrs Pettigrew's face were etched deep; recently, she had been working more than ever and the stress was starting to show.

"Peter, why don't you tell your mother?" Rachel urged, smiling as Peter stepped forward and held the letter towards the fireplace.

"I got in, mama."

"Oh, well done," she sighed, the smile not quite reaching her eyes. "That's wonderful news. I'll let your father know straight away. Rachel, have Kitty prepare something special for dinner tonight when she gets back, we should celebrate this. We'll try to be home before nine." Her eyes shifted to Peter. "Well done, son. I'm very proud."

That said, her head disappeared from the fireplace and Rachel turned to look at Peter. "Kitty should be back soon and then we can plan what to have for dinner tonight! Let's finish baking these and I'll tell you all about Hogwarts..."

* * *

Not all students received letters. Others were contacted directly, for various reasons; if they were muggleborn, then it would need to be explained to their parents that their children had magical abilities. It was a big enough shock to the children themselves, but more often than not they quickly adapted.

Usually, the Professors of Hogwarts would travel to the Muggle areas and speak to the families. However, on very rare occasions, children born into Wizarding families would need to be visited, too. They may have been adopted at birth, as happened to one Gerard Chester, or, for reasons sometimes unknown, the family may have completely cut themselves off from the Wizarding world, making it very difficult to track them down.

It was for this reason that Albus Dumbledore, newly appointed Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, found himself walking through the British countryside, heading towards a single house that stood miles from any form of civilisation.

It had taken a while to track down the Lupin family, but finally he had found them. He shook his head, disappointed with the attitude the community as a whole had towards 'creatures'. It had been that attitude, or rather the fear of it, which had driven the Lupin family to become so removed from their friends and peers. The attack had left them devastated, and it hadn't helped that his predecessor had been unwilling to make allowances for the only son of the family.

Eventually, Albus found himself at the door. He knocked, brushed down his robes and waited.

It opened to reveal John Lupin, looking much older than Albus remembered. Both John and Branwen had been bright pupils at Hogwarts, and he was sure their son would be no different.

"Professor Dumbledore?"

"Please, John. Call me Albus," he smiled kindly, eyes twinkling. "May I come in?"

"O-o-of course," John stuttered, stepping back and allowing his old teacher to enter the small cottage. Albus glanced around, taking a deep breath. The smell of home-cooking filled the room, and he exhaled slowly.

"It smells wonderful. Branwen must be an excellent cook."

"She is," John smiled in response to the compliment. To Albus, it made him look ten years younger. "I'm sorry Albus but I have to ask, what are you doing here?"

"Dad?" A small face appeared between the banisters on the stairs. Remus gazed down at the stranger with something akin to fear in his eyes. "What's going on?"

"Remus, come down here. This is Professor Dumbledore, he teaches at the school."

Remus slowly descended the stairs, glancing uncertainly at the teacher. He stood at his father's side, large, hazel eyes staring up at the bearded man with fear and awe.

"Remus. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"You too, sir," Remus mumbled, shaking the teacher's hand when it was offered.

Branwen appeared in the doorway, her hair tied back away from a pale, lined face. She stared at the Professor, confused and, like her son, uncertain. "Professor Dumbledore, what are you doing here?"

He chuckled, remembering that the bright witch was never one to beat around the bush.

"Branwen. Nice to see you again. Actually, I'm here as Headmaster, it was very hard to track you down, you know."

"We didn't want to be found," John muttered sheepishly. "Branwen cast a few spells over the area. After the..." He glanced down at Remus. "The incident, we thought it was best to be as far away from others as possible."

"You have friends who have missed you." Albus glanced around the room. It was almost bare; a ragged sofa sat in the middle, two matching armchairs and a bookshelf. A clock ticked on the wall, but other than that there was no decoration. "I would like to offer Remus a place at the school."

Remus' face lit up, as he glanced from his mother to his father. Both sighed.

"We thought...he didn't get his letter last year."

"I know," Albus shook his head sadly. "Alas, Professor Dippet thought it...unwise. Myself and some of the teachers at the school have, however, discussed the matter at length. We are able, we feel, to safely deal with Remus' situation."

"Remus..." John glanced down at his son. "Why don't you go upstairs?"

"OK, dad." Remus sent one more glance towards Albus Dumbledore before darting back up the stairs. Moments later, they heard his door close, and Branwen gestured towards the tattered sofa.

"Please, Professor, sit down."

"Thank you," he bowed his head. "But please, call me Albus. Now, as I said, I have spoken to the others at the school..."

They discussed the issue, John and Branwen putting up their own concerns, all of which Albus was able to address. It was clear he had worked hard to make it a possibility for young Remus to go to the school, and within a couple of hours Remus' parents were convinced. Branwen was close to tears, afraid of losing her son, scared for what awaited him at the school, but unbelievably happy that he was getting the chance. Eventually, Albus stood to take his leave.

"Thank you, Albus." John shook the teacher's hand, gratitude and relief shining from his eyes. "This really means a lot to us. All of us. And I know if there's anywhere Remus will be safe..."

"It's under you," Branwen whispered, a gentle smile on her lips. "How can we ever repay you?"

"I'm not doing this for repayment," Albus chuckled, shaking his head as he laid a hand on Branwen's shoulder. "If you two are anything to go by, Remus will be bright..."

"He is," John insisted. "He's devoured half of the books in the house..."

"And it would be a shame for him not to learn more," he finished, eyes twinkling. "Goodnight John, Branwen. I promise, we will look after him."

"I know," Branwen whispered, leaning in and planting a kiss on the man's cheek. "I know. Thank you, so much."

Albus chuckled again, glancing towards the stairs. He gave a wink to the small boy sitting on them, eagerly peering through the banisters at him once more. He shook hands with John once more, bid them goodnight again and stepped out of the house, thinking about how much younger both had looked when he left.


	3. Chapter Two

Lily Evans gazed around the platform in amazement. Her black and white cat purred at her side, glancing upwards and gazing at her with her feline emerald eyes. Lily's eyes were not that far different from her cat's; a piercing green colour, usually shining with kindness and care. So different to the dull hazel of her sister. Petunia stood now beside the red head, arms crossed and lips forming a pout. Their parents stood not far away, scared and in awe.

"Now Lily, are you sure you have everything?"

"Yes, mother," Lily sighed, glancing at the large trunk beside her. "I have everything."

"Now, where is that boy?" her father grumbled, eyes scanning the crowd. "Ah, there he is! Severus, Severus!" he called, waving his arm in the air. Lily blushed, embarrassed as a small, waif thin boy pushed through the crowd towards them. His dark hair hung around his pale face, lanky and just a bit greasy. He looked tired, but like Lily, excited and nervous. He smiled briefly at her.

"You got here OK then?"

"Yes. Someone spotted us on platform nine and told us how to get here."

"Ah, good," he grinned, before glancing at Mr and Mrs Evans. "I promise I'll look after her."

Petunia grumbled something under her breath, glaring at Severus. "_Freaks_," she hissed. "All of you."

Severus, for a moment, looked angry, but calmed down when Lily put her hand on his arm.

"Petunia, stop it now," Mrs Evans sighed, before turning to Severus. "I know you will. No one will, well, hold _us _against her, will they?"

"As in, your family?" he asked, registering the worried look on Mrs Evans' face. "No, they won't. It'll be fine." What else could he tell them? That Lily was going to have to work harder than anyone else just because she was muggle born? That the majority of the student population would look down on her, just because she wasn't born into a wizarding family?

No, he would not tell them that. But he would warn Lily to be careful, once they were out of earshot.

"Come on," he smiled eagerly at his friend. "I got us a compartment."

"OK!" She nodded quickly, before saying her goodbyes to her parents and sisters and following Severus to the scarlet steam engine waiting for them.

* * *

"Sirius get back...oh for the love of..."

A young girl was screeching at the boy, who darted through the crowds, away from her, pushing past Remus, sending him stumbling backwards into his parents. He winced, suddenly scared of the other children milling around. Most of them looked so sure, so confident. He felt like he didn't belong, not here, not among _normal _people.

"_Freaks_."

He heard the hiss come from not far behind them, and he looked over to see a family, a pretty red head and a dark haired boy who looked his age. His mother and father pushed him forward, his mother running through a mental checklist.

"We'll find you an owl," she promised, kissing his forehead. "I'm sure the Sanctuary will have a few."

"OK," he mumbled, scratching the back of his neck. Around him, people were saying goodbye to their parents, greeting old friends, scrambling onto the train...

"And you have your wand, your cauldron, all your books...are you _sure _you have enough clothes, Remus? You do go through them awfully quickly."

"I'll be fine, mum," he grumbled, turning away from her. He didn't want to see his mother get emotional and cry; he didn't think he'd be able to handle it. Instead, he made the goodbye as brief as possible before trying to squeeze his way through the crowd towards the train.

"Hey," he heard a soft voice beside him and turned to see another boy, just a slight taller than him, with jet black hair and sparkling hazel eyes. "Are you a first year too?"

"Uh huh," Remus nodded, watching as the boy pushed his pair of black glasses up his nose. "How'd you guess?"

The boy chuckled. "All the older kids clearly look like they know what they're doing." He grinned. "Want to grab a compartment together?"

"Sure!" Remus felt the butterflies in his stomach start to settle as the boy grabbed the end of his own trunk and started to pull it towards the train. Remus followed, eyeing the large eagle owl that sat in a cage carried by the boy.

"I'm James Potter," he introduced himself, glancing back towards Remus.

"Remus Lupin."

"Lupin, Lupin..." James looked thoughtful as they stepped onto the train and started moving down the corridor, glancing into the compartments briefly, trying to find an empty one. "I know that name from somewhere...you from a Wizarding family?"

"Yeah," Remus smiled weakly.

"Thought so. Here." He pushed open a door and the two boys slid into the empty compartment, taking seats opposite each other. "Do you have a pet?" James asked, stroking his owl's feathers through the bars of the cage.

"No," Remus found himself blushing. "I couldn't find one I liked," _or who liked me, anyway, _he thought bitterly, remembering how the cats had reacted when he'd gone into the pet shop. The owls hadn't been as bad, they'd just stared at him like James' owl did now, with open hostility. They knew, he was aware of that much. They knew and they didn't like what was inside of him. "My mum and dad are going to try to find an owl for me."

"Ah, fair enough," James mumbled, glancing at his own pet. "This is Tyger. My dad said an owl was the best pet to have, they're really useful."

"I bet."

The door opened, and the red head Remus had seen on the platform stepped inside, followed by the boy who was with her. "I'm sure they won't mind...we can sit here, right?"

"Sure," James shrugged, indifferent to the two new entrants, who now pulled in their trunks. A cat slinked around the girl's leg, before it started hissing at Remus. The hairs shot up on its back and Remus, instinctively, shrank backwards.

"Oh I'm sorry; she's not usually like that. Quiet now, Esmeralda."

"It's OK," Remus mumbled, drawing his eyes away from the cat and focusing, instead, on pulling a book from his bag. James, however, didn't seem keen to let him get lost in the fictional world.

"So, Remus, who're your favourite Quidditch team?"

The dark haired boy scoffed, rolling his eyes as he took a seat nearest the door. The girl sat beside him, looking curiously at James. "What's Quidditch?" she asked, as Remus placed his book down.

"I'm not really into sport," he replied, as James looked shocked.

"You don't watch Quidditch, then?" James shook his head in disbelief. "I love it!"

"It's a macho-sadistic sport," the dark haired boy spat, looking to answer the girl's question. "It's really not interesting, Lily."

"You're a muggleborn then, right?" James asked, turning his attention to Lily. "And don't listen to that greasy haired git. Quidditch is the best sport ever! So much better than muggle sports!"

Lily glanced sideways at her friend, whose face had gone bright red. "Don't insult Severus! He's told me _most _things about the wizarding world and..."

She was interrupted, however, by a crash from outside. The four glanced at the door as a slightly stocky boy with cropped black hair burst into the room, holding a smaller boy by the scruff of his neck. Panting, he pushed the boy in and scrambled after him, shutting the door behind and leaning against it.

He glanced around the room, palms pressed tight against the door, before he flashed them a large grin. "Hey!" His eyes darted towards the boy he had dragged in with him, who was now rubbing the back of his neck, staring with concern towards the stockier kid. "You OK?"

"Yeah. Sorry. Thanks."

"It's fine." He opened the door, glanced out, let out a relieved sigh and then sat beside the smaller boy, lounging against the chair and crossed his ankles and his arms. "Sorry for the interruption. We got kicked out of our carriage by my _delightful _cousins."

Lily glared at the boy, clearly not liking the intrusion. Severus stared at him with a raised eyebrow as James stared with open curiosity.

"Do you like Quidditch?" he asked, clearly pinning his hopes on the new boys.

"Oh hells yeah!" The stockier boy enthused. "Best game _ever_!"

"My parents took me to see Holyhead Harpies last month," the smaller boy smiled slowly, almost nervously. "It was amazing!"

"Thank Merlin!" James threw his arms in the air, before glancing at the other three. "Alright, alright, we'll save the sport talk for later. Anyway, what houses are you hoping to be in?"

Remus blushed, glancing downwards as he bit his lip. "Does anyone know how we get sorted?"

His question was met by the shaking of heads and muttered 'no's, as they all glanced at each other.

"My cousins said we have to stand in front of everyone, and whichever house claims you first...that's the one you join. But that sounds really weird to me."

At this, Lily, Remus and Peter all whimpered. The three of them averted their eyes from everyone else, all caught up in their own fears that no one would want them, that they'd be cast out and told never to go back to the legendary school.

Severus scoffed. "Don't be stupid. They wouldn't leave it up to the students. Your cousins are clearly lying to you."

"I heard you have to fight some sort of animal!" The small boy squeaked, glancing nervously around. "And you get sorted depending on how you face it and if you beat it."

"Animal?" Lily's frown deepened. "Like what?"

"Or a beast! Or a monster like a troll!" he continued, shrinking down in his seat.

"I'd rather face the whole school!" James declared. "I bet Gryffindor would pick me!"

Instead of scoffing, Severus just snarled. "Who'd want to be in _Gryffindor_? Bunch of idiots if you ask me. Lily, you'd better hope to end up in Slytherin or Ravenclaw."

"Slytherin?" James barked. "What a bunch of slimy gits. They should all rot."

"My whole family are in Slytherin," the stockier boy mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. "I hope I don't end up there."

"Sorry, mate," James muttered. "Didn't mean to insult your family."

"I bet I end up in Hufflepuff," The small boy sadly shook his head.

"Nothing wrong with that," James smiled kindly at him. "Better than with the snakes, right Remus?"

"Oh yeah, I-I-I guess so." Truth was, Remus was half expecting to be placed in what was considered the darkest house. With the creature inside him, he wouldn't have been surprised. Still, the thought terrified him; he didn't want to end up there. What if they brought out the worst in him? What if they pushed him to become evil, like them?

He didn't think he was strong enough to stop the evil wolf from rearing its ugly head if he did end up in Slytherin.

"Slytherin is a great house," Severus snapped. "The best blood lines come from Slytherin house members, and those who have achieved the greatest in our world have been from Slytherin. They're ambitious, intelligent and determined. None of them are bad qualities."

"They are when you're _too _ambitious." The stocky boy lifted his head slowly, glaring at Severus. "When you won't stop at anything to get your way. Slytherins don't care who or what gets in their way, or who they hurt to achieve their goals. And don't talk to me about _family blood lines, _that's all bollocks. And that's coming from a member of the most ancient and noble house of Black." The last bit was said with a sarcastic sneer and a roll of the eyes, leaving James and Severus staring at him with curiosity.

"You must be Sirius, then," James muttered, finally, breaking the silence that had descended over them. "You're nothing like I imagined, mate."

"Yeah, well," he shrugged, "I try not to be too much like my _beloved _Slytherin family."

Severus stood up, shoulders shaking from anger. "Better to be ambitious and intelligent than stupid and brave. I'm leaving."

With that, he turned and stormed out of the compartment, leaving Lily glaring around at the boys.

"Well, I hope I don't end up with you four. You're not a friendly bunch at all." That said, she followed her friend out and left the boys.

"Unbelievable!" James fumed, glaring at the shut door. "If she thinks she'll be OK with the likes of him..."

"Leave it, mate," Sirius spoke gently, leaning forward slightly. "It's not worth it. What're your names anyway?"

"James Potter." James introduced himself, puffing his chest out as he did so.

"Potter, eh?" Sirius chuckled. "If my mum found out I'd spoken to a _Potter.._." His grin grew wider as he thought about it, nodding his head slowly. "Yeah, I think I want to stay mates with you."

"I don't understand," Remus glanced shyly at the larger boy. "What's wrong with the Potters?"

"Nothing, mate, that's the point." Sirius shrugged. "Just my family are obsessed with keeping our lineage strictly pureblood. Like I said, they're Slytherins, hate muggles and anything to do with them."

"And to families like that," James rolled his eyes, "we're nothing but muggle-loving disgraces to the Wizarding world. All because members of my family have married muggleborns and regular muggles. Haven't your parents told you anything about the Wizarding families?"

"No," Remus shook his head. "Sorry, I'm Remus Lupin." He told Sirius and the other boy, wondering what kind of response _his _surname would receive.

"Lupin?" Sirius thought it over. "Hang on, didn't your family disappear off the map a few years back?"

Remus nodded, slowly, ignoring the blush that made his cheeks burn. His parents had warned him that this might happen, the Wizarding community was fairly tight and most families knew all the names of those that were a long standing part of the Wizarding world. "Yes, but my mother fell ill. She...she needed peace. And quiet. Away from the community."

"Ah, sorry, mate," James gave him a small smile, before turning his attention to the currently unnamed boy. "So, what's your name?"

"Peter," he squeaked. "Peter Pettigrew."

"Pettigrew?" James considered the name. "Your parents work in the ministry, right?"

"Yes," Peter nodded. "My mother raises funds for the Ministry and my father..."

"Auror, right?" Sirius interrupted, a grin stretching across his features. "That's brilliant! My mum really would go nuts. Son of an Auror. Pretty big thing to live up to."

"Yeah," Peter blushed. "Though he told me he doesn't expect me to follow in his footsteps, if I don't want to."

The four fell into easy conversation as the train continued its journey, winding its way across the British countryside, as Hogwarts waited at the other end, with no idea what was about to hit it.


	4. Chapter Three

Gasps of amazement rose from the small collection of boats as they came into view of the castle. Remus couldn't help but wonder what other surprises awaited them, as his eyes scanned the towers that cast long shadows over the lake they were travelling across. Getting off the train, the first years had been greeted by what Remus could only describe as a giant, although he knew from his books that actual giants were much bigger than this man.

Still, to the small first years he was huge and intimidating, until he smiled and waved at them, his dark eyes glittering as he introduced himself as Rubeus Hagrid, keeper of the keys. James had been staring at the carriages the older students were piling into, and he'd asked Sirius what was pulling them.

"There's nothing there, mate," Sirius chuckled, clearly excited as he pulled him along, Remus and Peter following close behind. "Come on."

Remus had glanced once more at the carriages, wondering what could be pulling them. He doubted they were moving completely on their own, even with magic, and the harnesses were too perfect to be attached to nothing. Still, he didn't let it bother him as they stood at the edge of a huge lake.

They'd travelled across it in small boats, four to each one, and the first years had gasped, some of the girls screamed, when a tentacle reached out of the water, as if to wave at them.

"Jus' the giant squid," Hagrid explained, "nothin' to worry 'bout now. C'mon."

It hadn't taken long for them to emerge from under the shade of the trees and see the castle. It seemed a shadow of awe had settled over the students, as they gazed at the building that seemed to meld into part of the mountain. Further down from it, they could just about see the trees that made up the Forbidden Forest, which some students had heard about from their parents.

Remus gazed at the trees, teeth gently biting down on his lips. The sight of the trees, stretching towards the sky, and the thought of being under there during the night, in complete darkness, with whatever other creatures made it their home...it filled him with fear. More so as he still did not know his monthly arrangements. Maybe he'd have to spend the full moon there, every month?

"Remus," James nudged him gently. "You OK mate?"

"Yeah," he muttered, weakly. "I'm fine."

"It's daunting, isn't it?" Peter piped up, looking at Remus as if he understood. "Scary."

Remus nodded, as the boats pulled up beside the castle and Hagrid climbed out, holding a hand out to the girl who had been in a boat with him. Smiling politely, she took his hand and allowed him to help her out. One by one the boats gently bumped against the edge of the small jetty, and the first years climbed out.

"Righ'," Hagrid beamed at them. "Follow me!"

He led them up towards the castle, opening the doors that were easily three times their size, although Hagrid had to duck slightly to get in. Remus, Sirius, Peter and James gazed around at the Entrance Hall, eyes roaming over the portraits that stared down at them, whispering and pointing.

"Stay here," he commanded, giving them another brief grin before he turned and disappeared through another door. The first years shivered in anticipation, wondering what awaited them in the next few moments.

A few of them jumped as a door just ahead of them opened.

A tall, well built man stepped out, dark green eyes sparkling as they trailed over the newcomers. His black hair had a few streaks of grey in, and a scar ran from under his right ear, disappearing under his robes. James inched forward slightly, scanning the man. He spotted a tattoo on the man's wrist, a complicated design that, to James, looked Celtic. He glanced up at the man's face.

"Good evening." His voice was soft, a slight Welsh lilt to it as he smiled at them. "I am Professor Caedmon, Deputy Headmaster of Hogwarts and Professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts. Welcome to the castle, your home for the next seven years."

Sirius bit down on his lip, clearly trying to hold back a grin. Professor Caedmon took a step back, eyes still scanning them, taking them in one by one. "You will shortly be sorted, placed into a house which will make up your family during your time here. That is not to say that you should avoid those in other houses. The strongest bonds come from overcoming our differences. You will meet the individual heads of houses in turn, but for now just be aware that any actions may have an effect on the house points." He gestured towards four large hour glasses that sat in the Entrance Hall, each with their own coloured beads. "Negative actions will result in deducted points; positive actions will result in points added. Understand?"

The first years nodded, eyes drifting over to scan the hour glasses. Some looked eager, excited at the prospect of being able to add to their houses points. Others looked daunted, scared that they'd be the ones to make the sand drift out of the glass, that they'd be the ones responsible for their house losing.

"Good." He smiled at them then, a gentle, soft smile. "If you follow me..." He led them away from the Entrance Hall, through a door that led into a small room. The door in front of them was closed, but through it they could hear the excited chatter of the other students. "Now, wait here, you will be called for when the Sorting starts."

With that, Professor Caedmon stepped away from the group and entered the large room. For a brief second the door hung open, and the voices grew louder, intimidating the small students crowded in the antechamber. They huddled together in groups they had formed on the train, eyes wide and beads of sweat forming at the top of their necks, rolling down and under their robes.

"Of course my family is pureblood!"

James snapped his head around, glaring at a tall boy with dirty blond hair. His eyes were a dark blue, fringe falling to cover his eyebrows. He threw his shoulders back as he stared at the girl in front of him, her mouth curved in a sneer.

"I'd be too ashamed to show my face if there was even a drop of Muggle blood in me," he continued, scoffing at the end as the girl's sneer grew wider.

"Same here," she drawled.

"Excuse me," a small girl slid forward, eyes wide, her strawberry blonde hair looped back in a ponytail, "but what's a Muggle?"

The boy let out a disgruntled sound, as the girl cackled. There was no other way to describe the twisted sound that came from her mouth. "Someone who has no magical ability," she spat. "So in other words, I'm guessing your kind? People who have no right to be here."

James inched forward, annoyance and anger flashing across his boyish face. Sirius laid a hand on his arm, holding him back. "Not now, mate," he whispered. "It's too early."

Remus looked around the room. A few of the students were glancing uneasily at each other, and he spotted the redhead – Lily – from the train, whispering to Severus. She looked worried, frightened and Severus looked like he was trying to calm her.

"Disgusting mudblood," the boy hissed. "Get back home where you belong."

James' face flashed a deep shade of red, and before any of the other boys could stop him he had pushed his way forward, forcing himself past the other first years until he was standing in front of the boy with dirty blond hair. Sirius called out "No!" as James pulled his fist back.

Too late; James' fist collided with the boy's face, sending the blond reeling backwards, cursing at James as his hands flew up to his nose. James shook his fist, stepping back as he rubbed his now red knuckles. "I'll do the same if you say that in front of me again."

The boy rounded on him, face bright red, droplets of scarlet blood falling from his nose. "And who the hell are you?"

"James Potter," he spat. "Remember it."

The boy stepped forward, head raised as he glared at James. "Potter, should have known. Bunch of mudblood loving..."

James pulled his fist back again, but this time Sirius was quicker. The boy grabbed hold of his friend, yanking him back. "You never did know when to shut up, Wheel."

"Black?" He looked stunned as he stared at the boy. "Oh Black, wouldn't your parents be _so _disappointed if they knew you were hanging around with the likes of _him_."

Sirius grinned, eyes sparkling. "Why do you think I'm doing it? I don't want to end up like my parents, or like you, for that matter."

Wheel shook his head, lips curved in a malicious grin, blood still pouring down. The girl beside him looked worried, though not enough to resist glaring at James and Sirius. Remus hung back, watching carefully, flinching when the doors opened and Professor Caedmon reappeared.

The Deputy Headmaster stared in shock at the boy called Wheel. His eyes darkened as he glanced at James, the boy panting as he glared at Wheel. "What in Merlin's name has been going on here?" he thundered, stepping towards the two children, the other first years parting before him like the red sea at Moses' command.

"He insulted one of the other students, Professor."

The first years froze, staring up above them where a transparent figure floated. The ghost drifted forward, scratching at the ruff around his neck. "That young lad," he gestured towards Wheel, "as I said, insulted those who are known as muggle-borns. Young Potter here stepped in and, I dare say it, took part in some _Muggle duelling, _in order to, I believe, teach him a lesson."

"Potter?" Caedmon turned to James. "I would have thought better of you, knowing your parents." He let out a drawn out sigh, looking from James to Wheel. "What's your name, boy?"

"Samuel, sir," he muttered. "Samuel Wheel."

"Right," Professor Caedmon pointed his wand at Samuel, muttered a quick spell and suddenly, the blood was gone. "Better?"

"Yes sir," he grinned. "Thank you sir."

"Don't thank me yet, lad," Caedmon stepped back. "I want to see you both in my office, _after _the feast. We will discuss the situation then."

James and Samuel nodded, glaring at each other one last time as Sirius pulled James back into the main crowd.

"Now that that fiasco is over," Caedmon groaned, "we can begin the sorting. Follow me, please."


	5. Chapter Four

Professor Caedmon stood in front of the teacher's table, a long piece of parchment rolled out in front of him. The first years gathered together near the door they had entered through, watching the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, eager and scared to find out what, exactly, would be involved in the process of being sorted.

Remus glanced nervously at the house tables. Each had a banner above it, showing the house colours along with the animal that represented the house. His eyes were drawn to the red and gold lion depicted above the Gryffindor table; it looked so fierce, so brave, one paw raised in the air as if ready to strike.

_I could never be a Gryffindor, _he thought wistfully, eyes glancing at the other houses. The yellow and black banner above the Hufflepuff table showed a black and white badger, and the only word Remus could think of to describe it was _warm_. There was something accepting about the banner, and he thought over the traits of the houses. _Loyalty, _he thought. _They're loyal, and kind. But they still wouldn't accept me._

Whispering built up around him and he snapped his gaze onto the old man trudging forward, carrying a stool with a well worn, tattered hat on top of it.

James leant forward, staring at the hat with a frown.

"What _is _that?" Peter asked, glancing first at Sirius, then at James, as if either of them would know the answer.

The hall fell silent, and the boys felt it, so thick in the air, the sense of waiting, of excitement. It leaked into them, and, along with the other first years, they kept their attention trained on the hat.

Suddenly, the hat opened at the brim, forming a mouth, and the hat began to speak.

No, not speak.

To _sing_.

Remus, James, Sirius and Peter stared at the hat with gaping mouths as it began its song, detailing the different houses of Hogwarts and their traits. The older students looked nonplussed by the idea of the singing hat, and it was only the first years who remained shocked. Still, every single pair of eyes in the hall were trained on the hat, as it moved on from the house traits and, instead, sang about its job of sorting the students and placing them in the houses where they would find "family, friends and a home".

The song finished, and Professor Caedmon unrolled a long piece of parchment, lifting it up and sending a quick smile towards the first year students. "When I call your name," he explained, "step forward and place the hat on your head."

Remus stared at the hat.

How was the hat supposed to know where you'd fit?

"I bet it'll send me home," Peter mumbled, clearly concerned as he inched closer to James and Sirius. The first name was called, and a petite blonde girl strode forward, chewing her bottom lip as she approached the hat.

"Can it do that?" Remus whispered, worried now that the hat would be on his head for a second and then announce that he didn't fit into any house. Maybe it would be for the best, he thought, if he was to be sent home. At least then he wouldn't be putting the other students in any danger.

The brim opened, and called, loudly, "Ravenclaw." The girl grinned, took the hat off her head and darted towards the Ravenclaw table.

Another name was called, and another girl – this one was dark brown hair – trotted forward. She smiled to the waiting older students before delicately sitting on the stool and pulling the hat over her head. It had barely touched her hair before the hat once more called out "Ravenclaw". The girl shot off, clearly happen with the decision, to join the wildly cheering students at the table.

"Black, Sirius."

"Good luck, mate," James muttered, clapping his friend on the back as Sirius tentatively approached the hat. He looked sick, and Remus was surprised at how little colour there was in his face. He'd seemed so confident on the train, but now he was trembling.

The hat took a while to decide, and Remus wondered why it hadn't placed him as soon as it had placed the two girls.

Finally, it yelled out "Gryffindor", and the table below the red and gold banner erupted into applause.

Hissing and jeering echoed from the Slytherin table, and Remus stared in surprise at the two girls leading the booing. The taller of the two had long hair the same dark shade as Sirius', whereas the second had golden blonde hair that fell elegantly over her shoulders and down to her breasts.

"What do they have against Sirius?" Remus asked, glancing at James. The dark haired boy looked at the table, and laughed.

"They're his cousins," he explained. "The Black family are mostly Slytherin. Don't worry about it, he looks happy."

James was right; Sirius had a huge smile on his face as he settled himself at the end of the table, waving at the boys as the next boy was sorted in Hufflepuff.

Remus watched as, one by one, the students were sorted. Lily Evans, the red head they'd met on the train, didn't look overly thrilled to be sorted into Gryffindor. She glanced worriedly back at the first years, looking at Severus Snape, and Remus realised they'd most likely end up in different houses.

James flashed him a wink and a smile as Professor Caedmon called out "Lupin, Remus". Slowly, Remus approached the stool and soon found the hat being placed on his head.

_Ah, now this is interesting._

Remus jumped slightly at the voice that seemed to be echoing in his head. He closed his eyes, slowed his breathing and tried to keep his heart from beating too fast.

_You're a clever boy, definitely; Ravenclaw may be a good home for you but...no. No...let's see...loyalty, yes, strong loyalty, the friends you make will be lucky to have you...but Hufflepuff..._

Remus grew worried, he could feel sweat forming on his brow, and he could feel his hands growing clammy. It wasn't going to sort him! He didn't fit in, not here.

_Don't panic, boy, _the hat chuckled. _You'll be sorted, don't worry. Now, _that's _interesting. The things you've been through, the things you've seen, yes, you are a brave one. Very brave. I think I know where to put _you_._

Remus felt his shoulders fall down as he let out a sigh of relief.

"Gryffindor!" the hat yelled, and Remus whipped the hat off his head, bounding over to the cheering table to join Sirius.

"Well done, mate," Sirius laughed, clapping the smaller boy on the back. "Nice one."

Remus grinned under Sirius' praise, before turning his attention back to the sorting. He waited patiently as another girl was sorted into Gryffindor, sitting nervously beside Lily. Finally, "Pettigrew, Peter" was called, and Sirius and Remus found themselves clapping wildly as the small boy trotted over to their table, a grin stretched across his face, looking happier than anyone else who had been sorted so far. After Peter, the boys found themselves gripping the table eagerly as "Potter, James" was called.

It seemed to take forever.

Remus watched as James' mouth formed a frown, and he wondered what the hat could be saying to him. There was no doubt that all three boys were silently praying that James would get sorted into Gryffindor, that he would be with them. The quick bond formed by them had already by solidified by Remus, Sirius and Peter being sorted into the same house, and without James, they just wouldn't be complete.

Finally, the house called out "Gryffindor" and, from the three boys, James got the biggest cheer yet. He punched the air before stepping away from the stool and walking casually towards the table to join his friends.

"Knew you'd end up here," Sirius laughed, as James settled into a seat opposite him, relief clear on his face. "I just knew it."

"Yeah, well, I'm just glad we're in the same house," James whispered, as the next student was called.

James and Sirius booed and hissed when "Snape, Severus" was sorted into Slytherin, both of them ignoring the glare from Lily Evans, sitting down the table with the other girls who had been sorted into their house. "Tate, Michael" was sorted into Gryffindor, and Sirius muttered "that's a surprise" when "Wheel, Samuel" proudly strode to the Slytherin table, head high and chest thrust out. Finally, "Wolfe, William" was called, and the last student was sorted into Gryffindor.

The students turned their attentions to the Professor's table as Dumbledore, the headmaster, rose slowly from his seat, as if in no eager rush to begin speaking. He waited patiently as the last of the babble died out, before he smiled happily at the student body.

"Greetings, old and new students. It is wonderful to see that you have survived whatever perils the summer may have thrown at you, and as always it is a pleasure to see many fresh, new faces smiling up at me. Ah, the joys of being young. Now, some announcements. As you know, Professor Dippet retired at the end of last year, and I have taken over his position of Headmaster. As a result, Professor Caedmon has taken over as Deputy Head, whilst retaining his position as Head of Ravenclaw." Clapping followed this announcement, mostly from the Ravenclaw table, and Dumbledore waited for it to die down before continuing. "Transfiguration will now be taught by our newest member of staff, Minerva McGonagall."

Silence followed this announcement, as students gazed at the woman sitting beside Caedmon. Her hands were folded neatly on her lap, and not a strand of hair was out of place from the bun pulled back on top of her head. She smiled at Dumbledore, before the Headmaster continued.

"One more adjustment to the staff," he smiled, glancing around the table before nodding quickly at the man sitting a few rows down from him. "Professor York has taken over the position of Head of Gryffindor." Once he'd made the staff announcements, Dumbledore went on to explain to the students that the Forbidden Forest was out of bounds (at which point James' eyes lit up) and that there was an extensive list of banned items on Professor Filch's, the caretaker, door. (Sirius nudged James, gave him a quick wink and both boys' eyes broke into smiles).

After what seemed like an age, Dumbledore announced the start of the feast.

The plates in front of the students filled up with an assortment of food, and the students dug in happily, Peter grabbing almost anything in sight. Sirius whooped with joy when he spotted the slices of beef in front of him, grabbing three of the biggest slices and depositing them on his plate. James a little more reserved, carefully choosing his food, slowly placing it on the plate. Remus, smiling, reached for his knife and fork.

He resisted crying out when his fingers touched the knife, but still his hand flinched backwards. _No, _he thought. _No! _He hadn't expected the cutlery to be made of actual silver. He glanced down at his fingers to see dark burn marks on the tips where he had touched the knife, and he ignored James' look of curiosity and worry.

"You alright there, mate?" Sirius asked, a fork full of beef halfway to his mouth.

"Yes I just..."

Luckily, he was saved from explanation when Professor York approached the table. The man stood at the end, scanning the students, until his eyes fell on Remus. "Lupin," he mumbled, voice low. "Come with me, please."

"Yes, sir," Remus replied, lifting himself up. James, Sirius and Peter gazed at him with worry as he walked the length of the table and joined Professor York, before being led out of the hall.

"You don't think he's done anything wrong, do you?" Peter squeaked, glancing at the two boys.

"No," Sirius shook his head. "It's too early. It must be about something else."

"Yeah, but like what?" James asked, as one of the other boys slid into Remus' place.

"Hey, where'd he go?" he asked, reaching forward and helping himself to one of the Yorkshire Puddings in front of them.

"To see Professor York," James replied. "Important stuff. I'm James Potter."

"William Wolfe." Happily, the boy shook James' hand, before the others introduced themselves. The topic, in a few minutes, turned to parentage and bloodlines. "My father's a Muggle, but he's always known my mother was a witch. She can trace her heritage right back to the time of Merlin, you know."

"Impressive," Sirius muttered sarcastically, rolling his eyes as he finished his food. Seconds later, the food disappeared, Peter groaned, before brightening up when the food was replaced by desert. Colourful cakes lined the table, along with ice cream and fruit and other sweets.

"You're a Black, right?" William asked, reaching forward and grabbing a slice of carrot cake. "So how'd you end up here?"

"I'm a Black by name only," Sirius muttered, reaching forward and grabbing a scoop of ice cream, depositing it in his bowl alongside a hot sticky toffee pudding. "You could say I'm the White Sheep of the family."

James chuckled, as he stuffed a mouthful of fruit cake into his mouth.

"Ah right, fair play. A Potter, Black and Pettigrew in Gryffindor...talk about old families." William chuckled, shaking his head.

"What about your family?" James asked, between mouthfuls. "You said your family was old, but I don't think I know much about the _Wolfe _family."

"That's because it's my dad's name," he explained. "My mother's maiden name is Malfoy."

"Bugger off!" Sirius cried, shaking his head. "You're related to the Malfoys?"

"Yeah," he shrugged, "but mum doesn't get on with them much. So I don't really know much of my mum's side of the family."

"Trust me," Sirius whispered, "it's for the best."

"What you talking about?" Michael Tate, the other Gryffindor boy, slid into the gap beside William. He reached out, grabbing a cupcake, and took a large bite.

"Families," William explained. "Mike is from a Muggle family, so he wouldn't really know anything about you three."

"Just the way I like it," Sirius chuckled, reaching out a hand to shake Michael's as they introduced themselves. The conversation carried on, bouncing from families to Quidditch to the expectations of the different classes.

James didn't know if the others felt it, but it felt odd, not sharing their first meal with the small boy they had befriended on the train. He tried to push it to the back of his mind and focus, instead, on the conversation with the other boys.

After all, he was going to spend the next seven years of his life with them; he didn't want them thinking he was odd.


	6. Chapter Five

**A/N: Firstly, I want to say a huge thank you to anyone who has reviewed, subscribed or added me/the story to their favourites. It really means a lot to know that people are actually reading and enjoying this; these chapters are just laying the groundwork, but things will pick up soon, I promise. Thanks again! All reviews will be given a loving home so please review if you have anything to say about the story, characters, etc. Cheers.**

Remus mutely followed Professor York out of the Great Hall, ignoring the whispers and stares of the other students. Nervously, he chewed his bottom lip, feeling scared and sick, feeling like, if he opened his mouth, he would throw up all other the bottom of Professor York's robe.

The Head of Gryffindor must have noticed the young students' fears. He fell back slightly, to walk alongside Remus, and laid a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"It's OK, Lupin," he sighed. "You're not in trouble."

Remus relaxed, feeling the breath escape from his lips as he forced himself to nod and smile.

"I noticed your reaction when you touched the cutlery," Professor York explained. "I've asked the house elves to bring up some food and non-silver cutlery to my office, just as a temporary measure, just for today."

"Thank you," Remus whimpered, as Professor York led him up a large set of stairs.

"Watch out for that one," York gestured towards one of the stairs. "It sometimes decides it doesn't want to be a stair and you end up slipping through it."

Together, they took a large step and missed the sometimes-not-a-stair stair.

The pair of them were silent as they walked through the corridors, rising up the castle, to where, Remus didn't know. He studied Professor York as they walked; the man looked to be in his early forties, with light blond hair falling in wisps around a thin face. His build was odd; he wasn't large, though he looked muscular. The Professor glanced towards the boy, who glanced away quickly. Although he knew he wasn't in trouble, Remus couldn't help but feel nervous; it was almost instinctive, like there was no other way to feel if you were alone in the presence of authority.

Eventually, Professor York came to a stop in front of a fairly nondescript wooden door. He glanced towards Remus before opening it, and ushered the first year in. The boy glanced around, spotting moving portraits and photographs of previous Professors and students. Each had a caption beneath it; Head of Gryffindor 1901 – 1942, Gryffindor Students 1920 – 1927 and various other dates.

"Please, Remus, sit," Professor York gestured to a simple chair in front of a simple table. Almost as soon as Remus had sat down, food appeared in front of him. He picked up the cutlery, uncertain, and smiled when it didn't sting or burn as it had in the Great Hall.

Professor York watched as the young boy dug into his food, clearly hungry after the long day's travelling. He smiled to himself, as the portrait of Professor Dumbledore's predecessor for Head of House leant forward.

"Small lad, aren't you?" he whispered kindly, causing Remus to glance up nervously. He swallowed the food in his mouth before replying.

"Y-y-yes, sir," he stammered, staring at the man.

"Remus," Professor York took a step forward, placing a gentle hand on Remus' shoulder. "This is Professor Starch; he was Head of Gryffindor before Professor Dumbledore."

"Oh," Remus stared at the man, whose dark blond hair tumbled over his shoulders, framing his rosy-cheeked face and emphasising his hazel eyes. "Pleasure to meet you, sir."

Starch chuckled, smiling at the boy. "And you too. This must be Remus Lupin, I take it?"

Remus' mouth dropped open as he looked at the painting. "The portraits of this castle have free reign – they are allowed to go to other portraits as and when they like. As a consequence, they see and hear a lot of things."

"Does that mean..." Remus gasped. "They all know about me?"

"Some do," Professor York sighed. "Of course, when discussing your...predicament, Professor Dumbledore and Professor Caedmon were very weary as to which portraits were listening in. Only those who can be trusted know, Remus."

"Oh." Remus looked around the room, looking at the various images and wondering which of them knew. He ate slowly, eyes darting, every so often, to look at Professor York. The Head of Gryffindor smiled gently, before moving slowly around the table to sit down. "Sir," Remus frowned. "Which of the Professors know about me?"

"All of the Head of Houses – we, of course, did not know which house you would end up in. As a result, all of us had to be informed. Madam Pomfrey is the school medi-witch; she will be the one who will check you over after your change every month. She, too, is aware. I think that is all."

Remus nodded slowly, glancing down at the food. Why couldn't he have a simple problem? He thought bitterly. Why couldn't have a nut allergy or something? Why did he have to be a _werewolf_?

"I want you to know, Remus," Professor York leant towards him. "We're happy to see you here. You seem like an intelligent lad, by all accounts, and none of us will let your predicament cloud our judgement of you. Understand?"

"Yes, sir. Thank you."

Remus really did feel grateful; not just towards Professor York, but to Professor Dumbledore and Professor Caedmon, too. He knew that Dumbledore did not have to allow him to reside in the castle, and Caedmon could have easily singled him out in front of the other first years. But neither had made him feel unwelcome, or made him feel that he shouldn't be there.

Professor York coughed. "Is there enough food there, Remus?"

"Yes, sir," the boy muttered.

"Good. The house elves should be sending up a bit more in a few minutes – I just need to speak to Professor Dumbledore, if you will excuse me." He bowed his head towards Remus, who nodded slowly before he watched his new Head of House dart out of the office.

It was only after he had gone, that Remus realised he had never felt as far from the monster inside him than he did at that moment.

James, Sirius and Peter stood up slowly, after Professor Dumbledore had 'closed' the feast. James had noticed Professor York slid in near the back of the room and approach the table, standing in the back and waiting for Dumbledore to finish. Eagerly, James scanned the crowd for any sign of their missing friend, grumbling when he didn't spot him.

"First years!"

The three of them snapped their heads around to see a tall, lanky red haired boy with black glasses approach them, smiling happily at them as he did so.

"Right, come on then. Let's get you to Gryffindor Tower."

The three boys glanced at each other, joining William and Michael as they followed the red haired boy out of the Great Hall and into the Entrance Hall.

The first years squeezed together as older students pushed past them, ignoring the children as they chatted happily to old friends. James kept looking for Remus, and it wasn't long before Sirius noticed his concern.

"He'll be alright mate; he's probably waiting for us in the tower."

James nodded, smiled at his friend and focused on the castle around them. Paintings whispered to each other as the first years passed, some passing comments on the new students.

"I'm Arthur Weasley." The red haired boy informed them as they climbed up a large set of stairs. "Fifth Year Prefect for Gryffindor. Any problems or questions, feel free to ask me. I know how scary it can be, the first few days here."

The first years nodded, although it was mainly out of politeness more than acknowledgement that they would, indeed, go to the prefect if they needed anything. They glanced around as they walked up the corridor, as Arthur pointed out various things.

"That's Professor York's office." He gestured towards the wooden door, where the name was displayed on a gold plaque, with Head of Gryffindor, Flying Professor written underneath it. "As Dumbledore explained, he's our new Head of House. It's a good idea to stay on his good side, by the way."

James glanced towards Sirius, watching as a smile grew on the other boy's face. They winked at each other, before Arthur stopped in front of a portrait of a large woman in a pink, silk gown.

"This is the Fat Lady," Arthur explained, glancing at the first years. "You need to give her the password to gain admittance to Gryffindor Tower. It's currently _non omnis moriar_."

The Fat Lady nodded, smiled at Arthur and then swung open. The first years clambered forward, pushing past each other, eager to be the first to see the common room.

Remus glanced towards the door, as he heard the footsteps outside. He could just about hear a voice explaining that, whoever they were, they were outside Professor York's office. Remus slowly leant forward, grabbed a chicken leg, and munching on it, content, waiting for Professor York to return.

Finally, after the footsteps had died away and Remus felt fuller than he had in ages, the door opened and Professors York, Dumbledore and Caedmon stepped inside.

He stood up quickly, bowing his head at the three men, who smiled gently at him before Professor Dumbledore moved to the other side of the desk and sat down. He waved his wand, and two plush armchairs appeared either side of Remus. Professor Caedmon and Professor York sat down, Caedmon linking his fingers together as he leant back.

Remus was painfully aware of how all of them had their eyes locked on him.

He shifted in his seat, glancing from one Professor to another.

"Remus," Dumbledore smiled gently at him. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," he mumbled. "Full."

"Good," Dumbledore nodded slowly, before taking a packet of sweets out of his pocket. He offered the packet to Remus. "Jelly baby?"

Remus glanced at the pack, before smiling and taking one. "Thank you," he whispered, popping the sweet in his mouth.

"Now, obviously, we need to discuss the arrangements for the full moon." Dumbledore leant back slightly, eyes still fixed on the young boy. "Madam Pomfrey knows about your predicament, Remus. The day before the full moon, you should go to the Hospital Wing. She'll take you down to the Whomping Willow, under which there is a tunnel that leads to the Shrieking Shack, a house in Hogsmeade. The building is secure enough that you will be able to turn without being disturbed and the wolf has a building big enough that it should not grow restless. Does that sound OK?"

"Yes, sir," Remus mumbled.

"Now, I know your housemates may grow curious as to your whereabouts. I'm afraid you will have to lie to them, Remus. You will need to think of an excuse that will allow you to disappear for a few days every month..."

Remus nodded.

"Have you thought about it?"

"Sort of," he muttered.

"Right. When you have informed them of your excuse, tell Professor York. He'll take care of everything else. OK?"

"Yes, sir."

Dumbledore smiled at the young boy, before glancing at Professor Caedmon. "Any problems come to any of us three. We will be able to help."

Remus nodded once more.

"Good. Professor York, would you kindly show Remus to his common room?"

"Of course," York bowed his head towards the headmaster, before he and Remus left the room.

"Do you think he will be OK, headmaster?" Professor Caedmon asked, his eyes fixed on the door.

"I do not know," Dumbledore sighed. "I hope so. But my biggest worry lies in his housemates. They may find out his secret, Gawain. I just hope that when they do," he paused, closing his eyes for a second, "they find themselves able to accept him."

Professor Caedmon nodded, thinking of the boys who had been sorted into Gryffindor. "I think they will, sir."


	7. Chapter Six

"Remus!"

James leapt up from his bed, eyes wide as he looked at his housemate.

"Remus, what happened?"

Sirius pulled back the curtains that hung around his bed, and Remus couldn't help but chuckle when he realised his new friend was already in his pyjamas.

Sirius yawned, as the curtains of the other beds were pulled back. Peter had been sitting on the edge of the bed when Remus came in, James had been in the process of unpacking, and it had been James who had darted forward, looking half-worried, half-curious.

"It's fine," Remus muttered, glancing downwards, avoiding the gazes of his housemates. Michael and William were staring at him, too. "Really. Professor York just wanted to discuss some arrangements about me going home every now and then."

"Going home?" James frowned. "Why?"

Remus felt the heat rise to his cheeks as he approached his own bed, the trunk already sitting at the bottom, waiting for him. He bent down, opening it up and starting to unpack. Carefully, Remus laid his pyjamas out on his bed, the other boys still watching him. He could feel their eyes on his back, as he spotted his parchment, at the bottom of the trunk, detailing the lunar cycle and the dates of every full moon for the next three months.

He glanced over his shoulder, seeing them waiting patiently. Remus stood up, lifted his chin and took a deep breath.

"There's some problems, at home. I need to go home to see my parents, sometimes."

James frowned, glancing at Sirius. The dark haired pair both stepped forward, but it was Sirius who placed a hand on Remus' shoulder. "Fair enough, mate," he whispered, "if you want to talk, we're here for you, alright?"

Thankfully, Remus nodded before gathering his pyjamas and sliding towards the bathroom. None of the boys questioned it as he stepped in, and once he was gone they turned to each other.

"So," William started, sitting down on the end of his bed. "You excited for tomorrow?"

* * *

It was a surprise that any of them slept. Most of the boys in the dorm dreamt of Hogwarts and the castle, of moving through it and exploring every inch, or of the classes in which they would learn to control their magic and use it to its full potential. Remus, however, dreamt of the forest, of padding through it with four legs, the wind flowing through his fur, with no fear at all. He dreamt of the power of the wolf as he began to run, howling and yelping with joy.

He had the feeling that he wasn't alone in his dream – but not in a bad way. There were others there, too, faint figures walking beside him, playing with him, keeping him company...

"WAKE UP!"

Remus' eyes snapped open, the immediate fear making his heart thump as he leapt from his bed and found himself standing, feet against the warm carpet, staring at James and Sirius who stood, fully dressed, near the front door. James held his wand in front of him, and instantly Remus knew he'd used a charm to make his voice that much louder. The other boys had scrambled from their beds, and William glared at James.

"What's the big idea?" he snapped.

James laughed, shaking his head before sweeping a hand through his mop of black hair. "We just didn't want you to be late for the first day!" he chuckled, as Michael reached in through the curtains of his bed and took a pillow, aiming it at the pair.

Both were laughing as James grabbed Sirius' arm and pulled him down the stairs. Remus and Peter glanced towards each other, before both boys shrugged and gathered their toiletries together, heading for the bathroom as William and Michael grumbled behind them.

Ten minutes later, Remus and Peter entered the Common Room, both wearing their uniforms.

James and Sirius were sitting in the armchairs across the room from the fireplace, leaning towards each other intently, discussing something in hushed whispers. Peter and Remus approached them, surprised when their conversation stopped on seeing them coming. James looked upwards, face beaming as he twirled his wand in his hands.

"Well, boys," he chuckled, "ready for day one?"

"Sure," Remus shrugged, patting his bag. "Got parchment, quills, my wand..."

James shook his head, leaping to his feet. "Don't need that stuff! It's only the first day! Come on!"

He darted towards the portrait hole, the other three following shortly behind.

James and Sirius ignored the portraits they encountered on the way, Peter paid them little attention but Remus was transfixed as they walked towards the Great Hall. Every so often, the other three would have to stop to wait for him, as he stared at one painting after another. Of course, Remus was aware that portraits and photographs moved, but he'd never encountered so many paintings before. He was amazed at the sheer number of them, at the way they flowed from one frame to another.

The others laughed at his childlike curiosity, but all four were still amazed by the ceiling above the hall.

Unlike the night before, when they had eaten under the twinkling stars, the ceiling, today, showed a bright blue sky with clouds scattered around, the sun shining down on them. James let out a cry of joy at the sight of the September sun.

The four laughed and joked as they walked towards the Gryffindor table, but, as they passed Slytherin, they were stopped by cries of "Blood-traitor!" and "You're a disgrace to the family, Sirius!"

"Ignore them," Sirius whispered, face going bright red as he hurried towards their house table. "Just...ignore them."

James frowned as he threw a glare in the direction of the table that sat beneath the silver and green banner. The girls who had shouted at Sirius burst into pearls of laughter, and James couldn't help but notice Severus Snape sitting near them, grinning into the glass he was drinking from.

Sirius grabbed James and pulled him onwards, until they reached the Gryffindor table. The prefect who had shown them to the Common Room sat there, in deep discussion with a girl with similar stark red hair.

"Molly, its fine, I can deal with..."

"Be careful, Arthur," she hissed. "The Malfoy family they..." she sighed, stopped and glanced towards the first years. "Oh, good morning! How did you sleep?"

The four first years muttered, "good, thanks" in reply, smiling shyly at the girl.

"Molly," she said, beaming at them. "I'm in Arthur's year. Any problems, feel free to come to me. Arthur can be a bit, well, forgetful sometimes."

The boys nodded, as a few of the Gryffindor first year girls sat on the other side of Arthur and Molly, and Molly turned to them, asking the same question.

"Bloody hell," James gasped. "How much do you two need to eat?"

Remus' head snapped around to look at Sirius' and Peter's plate. Both of them had piled their plates high with toast, sausages, tomatoes, eggy bread and other fried foods. Sirius shrugged.

"I'm starving, aren't you?"

James shook his head. "Yeah, but there's no way I could scoff down that much food. You two sure you're going to manage it?"

Peter nodded eagerly as he began to eat, Remus reaching for the bacon, dumping it on his plate as James picked out an egg and some bread, grabbing one of the egg cups that sat beside the bowl. He rolled his eyes.

"I wouldn't be surprised if either of you puked after the first lesson."

Soon, they were joined by William and Michael, both of which grumbled about their rude awakening. James and Sirius laughed, brushing it off, and all six became transfixed when the Heads of Houses moved off the staff table and towards the tables of their own houses. They watched as Professor York starting handing out pieces of parchment to each of the students.

He gave a brief smile to the first years as he handed them each their own parchment, their names written in old fashioned, cursive script at the top.

Remus scanned down the timetable, glancing upwards to read the expressions of his friends.

"Potions with Slytherins first," Sirius groaned. "That's going to be a great start to the week."

Arthur turned to them, smiling as he looked over Remus' shoulder at the timetable. "Be careful with Slughorn – if you're good, or from a rich family, he'll be your best friend. He can get a bit harsh with other students though, sometimes."

"Yeah," Molly scoffed. "It's a shame you're not very good at Potions, Arthur."

Arthur blushed, looking down at his food as Molly looked at Sirius' timetable. "Ah, at least you have Defence afterwards. It's always an interesting one with Caedmon."

The first years nodded, James staring intently at his timetable as he munched on a slice of toast. He glanced at his watch.

"How long does it take to get to the dungeons?" He cast a glance towards Arthur and Molly.

"Not long," Arthur shrugged. "I'd say leave in about ten minutes and you'll be fine."

"OK, thanks."

The boys returned to their conversation, and were soon heading down the corridor with the Gryffindor girls, heading down, underneath the castle and towards the dungeons. Only one of the girls wasn't with them. Lily Evans stopped just outside the Great Hall – she'd been overjoyed to see they had at least one lesson with the Slytherins, and she was looking forward to spending time with her childhood friend.

* * *

Remus glanced upwards as the door opened, frowning when he saw Lily Evans, the red headed Gryffindor girl, dart in with her head bowed, hair covering her face. She glanced up quickly, and for her sake he was glad that James and Sirius were deep in discussion about something else on their table. William was sitting with Peter, and Michael with one of the girls.

All of them were distracted.

It was only Remus that saw her slightly red eyes and red cheeks. He lifted a hand in greeting and saw a flicker of a smile. He could almost feel her relief that she had someone else to sit next to, and quickly she headed towards his table.

"Hi," she whispered, taking out her textbook, parchment and quill. She kept her head down, as if scared to look up.

"Hey," he replied, keeping their voices hushed. "Are you alright?"

"Uh huh, fine." She nodded quickly, and Remus doubted the truth of her words.

Laughter burst into the room and his head snapped up, staring at the group of Slytherin first years that tumbled in. A couple of the girls glanced towards Lily's direction, and he only just heard one of them hiss "_mudblood._" He felt his blood boil, and for a split second, he wished he were the wolf, leaping out of his seat and digging his claws into the girl's neck.

Severus Snape walked in, glancing towards their table.

Lily kept her head down, and Remus swore he saw a look of concern on the Slytherin's face.

(Later, when he told James, the bespectacled boy would reply that Slytherins were unable to feel concern for any other human being, much less a Muggle-born. It was only years later that Remus realised how wrong his friend had been.)

Severus sat on the other side of the room with the rest of his house, and Remus leant towards Lily.

"It's OK," he whispered, feeling a surge of curiosity, but knowing when not to pry. "They've all sat down."

Lily glanced upwards, eyes darting, for a second, towards the Slytherin half of the room. Quickly, her emerald green eyes snapped back to stare at the board and she took a deep breath.

"I didn't want to sit here," she hissed, as if suddenly remembering the events on the train. "I still don't like you and your friends."

Remus tried to keep the look of pain from his face, but she must have noticed. Quickly, she stammered an apology.

"Oh, I'm sorry, alright? I shouldn't have said that. My mother always said not to judge on first impressions but...but..." she paused, a delicate hand reaching up to rest under her chin. "He was supposed to be my friend."

Remus sighed, as the door behind the desk swung open, and in stepped a man with a large grin almost hidden underneath a gingery blond moustache. His pale green eyes swept around the room, as he placed down a pile of books in front of him. He took a deep breath and, in a booming voice, bid them welcome.

"Welcome, welcome," he cried, "to your first year Potions class! Exciting, isn't it? My name is Professor Horace Slughorn and I do hope that, over the next year, we get to know each other well. I hope you're all looking forward to learning the techniques of that great skill of potion making. Trust me; this class could get you a job in almost any profession you are looking for."

The first years were leaning forward intently, their whole attention fixed on the professor. His grin grew.

"Once you have mastered the art of Potions," he proclaimed, "then you will be able to cure most ailments. You will be able to make people fall in love with you, or even deliver death to those you despise _although, _I must stress, that is not recommended by either myself or Hogwarts."

Soft, unsure laughter echoed around the room. The Gryffindor students glanced uncertainly at each other, while some of the Slytherins grinned to themselves.

"Now, can anyone tell me which potion would be used to disguise one's self as another person?"

A few people put their hands up, mostly those who had been brought up in wizarding homes. Remus glanced towards Lily, who slowly put her own hand into the air.

"Yes?" Slughorn's eyes fell on her, and he smiled kindly. "Miss..."

"Evans, sir. Lily Evans."

All eyes fell on her.

"Evans? Not a relative of Clifford Evans, are you?"

Lily shook her head. "No, sir."

"Ah, shame, he's a very talented medi-wizard. Helped me out, a fair few times. Are you _sure _you're not a relative of his?"

A faint blush reddened her cheeks. "Yes, sir. I'm from a Muggle family."

The Slytherins snickered, and Slughorn's eyes immediately fell on them. "You, boy," his finger snapped at Severus, "tell me, what plant's roots are used in Shrinking Solution?"

"Daisy, sir," he muttered, quietly.

"And the plant used in the Draught of Living Death?"

Severus sighed, as if the question was easy. "Valerian."

Slughorn frowned. "What is lovage used in?"

"Confusing and Befuddlement Draughts, professor." The last word came out as a drawl, almost as if the Slytherin first year didn't care. Remus raised an eyebrow, unable to not be impressed by the boy's knowledge. Slughorn nodded, slowly.

"What's your name, boy?"

"Severus Snape, sir."

"Well, Mr. Snape, come see me after class."

Severus nodded slowly, and Remus glanced towards Lily. She was glaring down at her table, lips forming a pout.

"Right, class, get your textbooks and turn to page sixty-four..."


	8. Chapter Seven

"Welcome to your first Defense Against the Dark Arts class." Professor Caedmon smiled around at the first years Gryffindor class, all of which had their text books on the tables in front of them, quills posed over pieces of parchment as the Professor began speaking. James, Sirius, Peter and Remus had all taken up a row at the back of the class, William and Michel sitting just in front of them while the girls were spread out across the front three rows.

Caedmon leant on his desk. "Now, I may be bias, but this class is perhaps the most important class in the school. It may not have the same everyday practicalities of, say, Charms, Transfiguration or Potions, but I can assure you, you will learn nothing more important than how to defend yourself against the type of dark magic you may come across once you leave the safety of the school."

He paused, for just a second, eyes roaming around the class.

"Mr. Potter, I do believe we have already met. I am afraid that, due to more pressing matters," his eyes, for just a split second, darted to Remus, but the boy was sure he was the only one who noticed, "we were unable to arrange your punishment for the display before the sorting. See me after class."

James, his face bright red, nodded.

"Good, now, ah, Mr. Black. I've had the," he paused, shaking his head, "let's say the _pleasure _of teaching your cousins."

"Pleasure, sir? Then they can't possibly be _my _cousins."

A few people chuckled, as did Professor Caedmon before he continued looking around the class. "Mr. Wolfe, was it? Am I right in assuming your mother was Lyra Malfoy?"

"Yes, sir."

"And how is she now, Mr. Wolfe?"

"She's fine, sir."

"Good, good. Your mother was a wonder to teach. As was your father, Mr. Lupin." His eyes darted to Remus, who, like James, found himself blushing. Caedmon laughed, before calling out the names of the rest of the children, commenting after each one, sometimes asking questions about family or parents. Eventually, he finished, and turned to the board, his back to the class. "Now, as it is your first lesson, we're not going to do anything too difficult. I'm going to point to you; I want you to name something you might need to defend yourself against, understood?"

The whole room chorused "yes, sir," and suddenly, Professor Caedmon whirled around, pointing at William. "Wolfe."

"Err, dark curses, sir."

"Excellent. Evans."

"Animals?"

"Great one! Potter?"

"Sirius' snoring."

A few laughs followed his statement, but Caedmon frowned. "Mr. Potter, I suggest that if you do not take this class seriously, then you leave. As far as I remember, your father excelled in this subject, and I don't think he would be too happy to know his son has been sent out of my classroom."

James' face paled, as he glanced nervously at his desk. "Sorry, sir."

"An answer, please, Potter."

"Potions, sir."

"A very good point. A dark witch or wizard could easily slip a poison or truth serum into your drink or food. I have met a few Aurors who refuse to drink out of anything but their own flask, unless they have seen the food prepared from start to end. Anyone else?"

Remus, slowly, lifted his hand. Caedmon turned to him. "Yes, Lupin?"

"Dark creatures, sir, not just animals."

Caedmon smiled. "An excellent point, Mr. Lupin." He turned to the board, wrote up _Dark Curses _on one side and _Dark Creatures _on the other. "You may encounter a wolf or tiger in the world, but there are many other _things _out there which Muggles are completely unaware of. Remus, care to name one?"

"Werewolf, sir."

Caedmon kept his expression hidden, but Remus knew why he was staring straight at him. He was surprised, shocked, even, that Remus had even mentioned it in front of his classmates. But Caedmon was a master of discretion; he nodded, slowly, before his face broke out into a smile. "Right, a werewolf. We won't be looking closely at them for a few years yet, but they are an interesting subject matter, mostly because," he began to write the word on the wall, and Remus found himself staring, hard, at the word, as if the white chalk effect was designed specifically for him, _werewolf_, "of course, they are only_really _a dark creature, if that at all, once a month. The rest of the time, well, they're just a normal person. Any other dark curses or creatures you can name?"

He shot around the room, calling on different students, and soon the two rows were filled with words that, to some, seemed foreign and odd. Lily Evans frowned at the words such as 'hex', 'jinx', 'grindylow' and 'vampire'.

"Vampires are real?" she piped up, when Sirius had said the word.

Caedmon chuckled. "Yes, they are, Miss Evans, but very rare. I wouldn't lose sleep over it."

Lily nodded, blushing as she glanced at her table. Michael Tate lifted his hand and Caedmon glanced towards him. "Mr. Tate?"

"I was just wondering, sir, how many of these _should _we be worried about?"

Professor Caedmon turned back to the board, pointed his wand at it and whispered something. Suddenly, half of the curses and names of dark creatures had a line through them. "Those are the ones that, for now, you do not need to worry about. Actually, for now, don't _worry _about any of them. We'll be doing a fair bit of theory this year – you'll learn more when at a later stage."

There was a groan at the word _theory_, followed by Caedmon lifting a hand and silencing them all.

"I said a fair bit. We'll still be doing some practical stuff. Now, in the long term, much of it you don't need to worry about unless you go into a career that involves dealing with the Dark Arts directly – curse breaking, or Auror, or, actually, many of the jobs at the Ministry require knowledge on the subject. But, for now, turn to the front of your books. Read the introduction. Any questions?"

No one raised a hand, and he nodded.

"Good. Now get reading."

* * * 

Remus, Sirius and Peter had already started their lunch by the time James returned from speaking to Professor Caedmon. He kept his head down as he headed through the Great Hall, and remained silent when he sat with his friends. All three of them stared at him, waiting for him to speak.

James simply reached forward and started to dish out some chips onto his plate.

"Serves you right," Lily, sitting down the row from him, scoffed. "You shouldn't have punched that boy!"

"Shut it, Evans," James growled. "I was only doing it because he was insulting people like you."

"People like me?" she laughed, slightly too high pitched to be natural. "God, Potter, you're almost as bad. And I don't need people like you fighting my battles for me."

"Leave it, James," Remus whispered, scared of the rift between them and Lily opening even wider.

"Oh really, and why's that Evans?" he hissed. "Because you've got your own greasy haired Slytherin to do it for you? Haven't seen you talking to him since we got here!"

It was clear that James had hit a nerve; Lily's face blushed bright red, and she didn't say another word as she got up and walked swiftly away from the table, heading towards the large doors at the back of the hall. The other three turned to look at him, all looking with expressions of disappointment on their faces.

One of the other girls leapt up, following the redhead, while their friend, a girl with dark, blonde hair called Alice Prewett glared at James.

"Nice going, Potter."

James poked his tongue out at her as she picked up a few sandwiches and followed her friends out of the Great Hall. Remus sighed, bowing his head and staring at the food in front of him instead of at his friend. All four of the boys started to pick at their food, James munching slowly, with his hand cupped under his chin.

"What did Caedmon say, anyway?" Sirius eventually asked, reaching forward and pinching a couple of chips from James' plate.

James shrugged. "That he was disappointment that I resorted to Muggle duelling instead of talking to a teacher about it." He rolled his eyes. "I was completely justified though!" he cried, frowning as his eyes darted up to the staff table, staring hard at Caedmon. "It's not unfair; I don't see why I have to do detention with Wheel."

Sirius scoffed, shaking his head. "Don't worry mate, it could be worse."

"Yeah? How?"

"He could be at your house near every major celebration, with his little brat of a sister who you're expected to marry."

James cringed. "Alright, that does sound worse."

"Yeah, well, welcome to my world."

James rolled his eyes, as Peter gaped at Sirius. "Your parents expect you to marry his _sister_?"

Sirius chuckled. "Unfortunately, yes. She's a spoilt brat – a year younger than us so she'll probably be here next year." He sighed. "Which sucks, majorly, Wheel is even more of an arse when Alyce is around."

"But you're only eleven," Remus chipped in. "How can they already know who you're going to marry?"

"Yeah, well, welcome to the high society world of Wizards," Sirius scoffed, taking a deep breath, "But don't worry about me boys, I've got no plans to marry Alyce Wheel, or do what my parents say. They can go to hell, for all I care."

"Here, here!" James cheered, holding up his glass. "To defying the paths we're expected to follow!"

Remus and Peter both laughed, holding up their own glasses and clinking them together.

* * *

Sirius groaned as he dropped down into the armchair in the Common Room.

"How much work do they expect us to do in the first week?"

Remus was hunched over the table in the middle of the circle of chairs, focusing on getting the work given to them by Professor Slughorn done as quickly as possible.

"It's not too hard," he muttered, as James tilted his head back and closed his eyes. "Just a few questions from the first few chapters of the textbooks, that's all."

"Yeah, but it's still work," Sirius groaned, as Peter flicked frantically through their Charms textbook, eagerly looking for answers. "It's not fair; it's only our first day!"

Remus shrugged. "I guess we have to get used to it."

"It's not due in until next week," James chuckled, eyes snapping to Sirius. "How about we explore the castle, Mr. Black?"

Remus rolled his eyes. "You know we've only got two hours left before we have to stay in the Common Rooms. We can't just go wondering around."

James grinned.

"That's what you think." He glanced around the room, eyes sparkling as he spotted William and Michael both sitting near the fireplace. "Meet me in the dorm in two minutes." With that said, James darted off, a smile stretched across his face. The other three boys glanced at each other, raising their eyebrows before Sirius leapt up and followed after James.

"Remus?" Peter squeaked. "Do you think it's a good idea?"

"No," Remus sighed, before smiling gently at his friend. "But if we don't go with them, who knows what mischief they'll get up to in our absence?"

Peter chuckled, before they, too, followed the path up to the boy's dorm.


	9. Chapter Eight

Remus gaped at the object James pulled out of his trunk. The dark haired boy winked at the three of them, before pulling the cloak over his shoulders and disappearing entirely.

"Bloody hell," Sirius gasped, reaching forward and running his finger along a fringe of the cloak, watching it seemed to shimmer and sparkle as it was touched, before the sparks disappeared and they heard movement. Seconds later, James voice came from the other side of the room.

"See? No one will catch us."

"Where did you get an invisibility cloak from?" Peter whispered, in awe as he stared, wide eyed, at the spot where he thought James might be.

James whipped the cloak off and shrugged.

"It's been handed down in my family through generations, according to my dad," he explained. "Given to them on the day they go to Hogwarts. Pretty neat, huh?"

"Pretty neat?" Sirius chuckled. "More than that, mate. It's amazing. They're like...super rare."

James grinned. "Well, we going to explore the castle then?"

The four squished together, and somehow, by some miracle, all four managed to fit under the cloak. They stood in front of the mirror in the boy's dorm, checking that they were fully covered.

* * *

It was gone midnight by the time the boys returned to their dorm. Quietly, not wanting to wake William and Michael, they crept into their respective beds, sharing quick grins before closing their curtains.

Remus crossed his legs, whispered "lumos" and, by the light produced by his wand, he began to sketch out the path they had taken, the rooms they had entered and made notes on which rooms were locked or the statues they had discovered to be hollow.

The boys had not yet been taught the unlocking spell, but Remus knew it; he'd kept it to himself, knowing that the excitement of just being in the castle after hours was enough.

The revelation of the cloak had made Sirius almost giddy with glee. The boy had already began to make plans, to come up with different ideas of how they could use the cloak to their advantage, how they could now explore the territories outside the castle.

But Remus was weary; the forest scared him, terrified him. Peter had said, too, that he didn't want to go into the forest.

"Think of what could be in there!" Sirius had stammered, excitedly.

"Exactly," Peter had whimpered.

"We should wait," Remus, the voice of reason and calm, had gently laid a hand on Peter's shoulder as he spoke. "Wait until we know more. If we get caught in there, by something dangerous, we don't know enough to defend ourselves."

James had agreed with Remus, almost reluctantly, and the boys had all agreed to wait a while before exploring outside the castle.

"Besides," James had concluded with a large grin, "there's enough left unexplored in the castle to keep us entertained for a while."

* * *

Excitement bubbled up the common room the next evening, as the first years returned from the evening meal. Those who had got to the tower first were gathered around the notice board, the older students hanging back and watching the excited children.

"What's going on?" Remus asked, sliding forward and finding Lily Evans. She half-turned towards him, checking that James, Sirius and Peter were not near, and began to talk.

"Flying lessons," she stammered, and Remus was surprised to note that her face was pale, her eyes missing their usual, fiery spark. "We have the first one at the end of this week, with the Slytherins."

James and Sirius had managed to push their way to the front of the crowd, and as Lily finished speaking, Remus heard them both cheer.

"You don't seem too happy," he commented.

"I'm not," she admitted with a sigh, "I'm terrified. Flying? Really? We're not supposed to fly, Remus!"

He chuckled. "Wizards were using flying carpets long before Muggles came up with trains and cars – are we not meant to use them, either?"

She frowned, glancing over her shoulder at the older students, gathered at the other end of the room. "What if someone falls? Someone could get seriously hurt."

"Trust me, I'm not as eager as those two," he explained. "But we won't be expected to fly too high the first few times, I don't think. And they're what, fortnightly lessons?"

Lily nodded.

"They become optional after Christmas." Gently, Remus put a hand on Lily's shoulder. "You won't have to do anything you don't want to, Lily."

"Good," she whispered. "Because I _really _don't want to climb onto a broomstick."

* * *

Despite the semi-confident exterior he had projected to Lily Evans on the day they'd found out about the flying class, Remus found himself feeling more than a little nauseous when lessons finished on the Friday, and the first year Gryffindor and Slytherin students began their trek towards the Quidditch pitch.

James and Sirius were practically running towards the pitch, as Remus and Peter trailed behind. The two groups of first years were clearly mixed in their feelings towards the upcoming lessons; some, like James and Sirius, seemed eager and excited. Others, including, Remus noticed, Severus Snape, came across as scared and worried, their fear plastered clearly on their faces.

A short distance behind Remus and Peter, the Gryffindor girls chatted and tried to mask their fear with gossip. Lily walked with Alice and another girl whose name Remus could not recall. The three talked quickly, Alice gesturing in the air. Remus wondered if she was trying to calm Lily down. Although she was trying to hide it, Lily looked scared.

Not that Remus could blame her.

He hadn't been lying when he spoke of magic carpets predating trains and cars; he hadn't been faking the opinion that yes, men were supposed to fly. But there were people, and there were wolves, and then there were werewolves, and neither Remus nor the wolf inside of him was keen to try flying on a flimsy broomstick.

They reached the pitch to find that two rows of brooms had been laid out. Almost instinctively, the Gryffindors and Slytherins split off, moving either side. However, the Gryffindor group outnumbered the Slytherins by two, and so Michael and Alice both found themselves at the end of the Slytherin line.

Remus found himself standing opposite the Slytherin girl who had been insulting the Muggleborns with Wheel at the start of term; beside her, opposite Peter, stood Wheel himself, looking smug as he stood beside his broom. Snape stood opposite William, who, in turn, was next to James.

Professor York appeared from the end of the pitch, and strode towards them, standing at the end of the row. He grinned, and clapped his hands together, looking more enthusiastic than any of the first years had so far seen him.

"Well, now, I hope you're all eager to learn the most elegant side of magic," he chuckled, and the laughter echoed amongst the Gryffindors. "I am well aware that those of you who have grown up in Wizarding households may already have flown, more than once. But, I have found previously, that those children can, sometimes, have been taught improper ways to fly – they may have the wrong grip, or not a full _bond_, so to speak, with their flying instruments. It is important, for all involved, to follow exactly what I say. Understand?"

"Yes, sir," the first years replied. Those, like Samuel, who had been looking smug and confident now looked slightly worried. Remus glanced down at the broom by his feet, taking a deep breath.

"Right. Put your hand over the broom, like so," York commanded, waiting until every student had followed his instruction before he continued. "Confidently, now, _up_."

The broom under York's hand leapt up, and he grabbed it, fixing his eyes on the pupils as they repeated the single word.

Remus and Peter had both stammered over the two letters, and their brooms remained on the ground, twitching. The same, Remus could see, was happening to Lily and Severus, although most others had their brooms now clasped tightly in their hands. Remus couldn't help but notice it was mainly the Muggle borns, with the exception of Michael, who had been unable to get their brooms into their hands. He glanced at Peter, whose face was bright red as he stared at the broom.

"Up!" he hissed, and the broom leapt upwards, but only a few centimetres. It flopped back down.

"Keep trying!" Professor York urged. "Remember, you need to let the broom know who is master. Don't worry if you don't get it the first couple of times."

After a few more tries, every first year had their brooms in their hands, and were clutching them tightly.

York showed them how to position themselves on the flying instruments, and soon he was showing them how to hover.

Soon, James and Sirius were both above the ground, as was, surprisingly, Lily Evans. Remus noticed, with a twinge of jealously, that Michael was also hovering, with a small smile on his face. Wheel was yet to rise, Snape looked much how Remus felt – both were annoyed that they hadn't got the brooms to rise yet, but were almost relieved that their feet hadn't left the ground.

Seconds later, Remus heard a whoop of surprise and turned to see Peter hovering, too.

One by one, his classmates were rising around him, and eventually Remus and Severus were both in the air, too.

"Good. Now, tilt your broom forward, _gently_, and come back down."

The classmates descended; some seemed to ignore the gently part of York's sentence and a few tumbled off their brooms, including Sirius and William. The Slytherins chuckled at them, until Samuel Wheel also toppled off his broom and glared at them when they started to laugh at him, too.

"Don't get overconfident," Professor York warned. "Right, let's go through some basic movements..."

They spent the rest of the lesson learning the different manoeuvres involved in flying a broom, and Remus soon found that he wasn't as scared as he thought he'd be, hovering a few inches off the ground.

Still, he dreaded the next lesson when, Professor York told them, they'd be allowed to go higher and fly around the pitch itself.


	10. Chapter Nine

On the day of the first Quidditch match of the year – Hufflepuff vs. Ravenclaw – James, Sirius and Peter headed down to the pitch, all of them eager to watch. Remus, however, was concerned over the growing pile of work they were receiving, and opted instead to spend a few hours in the library, to work.

He found himself a table away from the main entrance – he didn't want the others to disturb him once the match was finished. Gathering the books he needed, he took them to the table, nestled neatly against the back wall and behind a maze of book shelves.

He'd been working for just under an hour when he heard the voices.

"I don't understand," the girl whimpered, "why can't you talk to me _normally_?"

Remus gently laid down the book he had been reading from and half-turned towards the shelf on his left, listening to the voices behind. Lily sniffed, and the voice that replied started Remus.

"I've told you, Evans, I can't be seen with you by my housemates!"

"Oh yeah, Severus? Why's that? Because I'm _just _a muggle born? A mudblood, isn't that what you call us?"

"Lily, I..."

"Have you told them?" she hissed. "About your parents, Severus? About your father? Do they know? Or are you hiding that from them like you're hiding me?"

"_Lily_! You don't know what it's like..."

"Of course I don't! You won't talk to me..."

The voices grew distant for a second, then closer. They were about to turn the corner. Remus hastily reached out and grabbed the nearest book, opening it to a random page and burying his head in it, hoping they wouldn't catch him eavesdropping.

"...about it at all and, to be quite frank with you, Sev..."

Lily's voice, now coming from behind Remus, stopped.

"Oh, look," Severus drawled. "It's little Lupin. Where are your friends, Lupin? No doubt off causing trouble somewhere, I expect."

"Oh, leave him alone!" Lily groaned, and Remus finally turned around to face them. Lily was shaking, almost close to tears.

Over the last couple of weeks, Remus and Lily had become almost friends. She still disliked James, Sirius and Remus, but they spent time together in the library, or working in the Common Room when the other three were preoccupied. Remus enjoyed her company, as well as the company of Alice Prewitt; both girls were witty and intelligent, not that James and Sirius weren't, but they put their intelligence and wit towards pranks, instead. Peter often just followed along with them, with Remus helping work out the kinks in their plans. The two boys had begun to get a reputation as troublemakers, but Remus and Peter often stayed out of the direct line of fire, so to speak.

"What are you looking at, Lupin?" Severus snarled, and Remus found himself cowering back from the taller boy. Remus wasn't brave. Not as brave as James, or Sirius, anyway. Whereas the other boys had taken to taunting Severus and laughing at him, Remus couldn't bring himself to do it. Partly, it seemed mean, and partly, he was scared about what Severus could do to _them_.

"Nothing," Remus muttered, eyes darting to Lily.

Sadness shone out from her emerald green eyes.

"I need to go," Severus Snape hissed, turning away from Lily and striding past Remus, making his way out of the library.

Remus felt himself relax as Lily approached the table and flopped down into one of the chairs.

"Are you all right?" Remus watched her carefully, as Lily glanced the way Severus had gone.

"Fine," Lily mumbled, turning to face him. "What are you working on?"

"The History of Magic homework Binns set us," Remus explained, gesturing to one of the books he had picked up. "I kind of got distracted though. Picked up that instead."

Lily picked up the second book he pointed to and looked at the cover. "A History of Magic On The Sea; Pirates and Wizards." She glanced up at him from under her red fringe. "Pirates used magic?"

"Yeah!" Remus nodded. "It's actually really interesting, British Pirates attacked a ship that was full of wizards, including ex-students of Hogwarts. When the wizards fought back, the Pirates saw their magical skills and enlisted a few of them, guiding the rest back to land."

"Wow," Lily shook her head. "Where were they going?"

"Some were going to America, to see the New World, as it was then. But they ended up back on the shores of Great Britain. The pirates utilised the skills of the wizards to help them attack other ships. They were quite successful."

"I'm surprised they didn't turn them in for being witches."

Remus waved a hand through the air. "And said what? 'Oh yes, we have brought you people who can do magic. Who are we? Err..pirates. Yeah, you're going to hang us now?'"

Lily laughed. "You're getting funnier by the day, Remus."

"Must be James and Sirius rubbing off on me."

Lily frowned, as she often did at the mention of their names. "Oh, I do wish you wouldn't hang around with them, Remus. They are such a bad influence."

"They're my friends," he shrugged. "They're funny, and fun to be around."

"Then why aren't you tagging along with them twenty-four hours a day like Pettigrew does?"

Remus frowned, tilting his head to one side, a very dog-like action, as he surveyed Lily. "You don't have to be with your friends all the time, do you? I don't see you Alice constantly linked, arm in arm."

Lily's gaze swung to the window. "Alice is at the Quidditch match. Even watching people fly makes me feel dizzy, so she went with her cousin because Molly said Alice would like it."

"I see," Remus sighed. "Look, Lily, I know you don't get on with James and Sirius, but they _are _my friends. I'm not saying we all have to hang out together but..."

"But what?" she snapped.

"But, please, if I can refrain from insulting Severus every time I see you, I think you can do the same when it comes to James and Sirius. And, to be quite honest, he deserves it a lot more than they do."

Lily glared at him before her face softened and she groaned. "Fine. _Fine_. But that doesn't mean I'm going to be nice to them when they act like complete arses in class, all right?"

He chuckled. "I wouldn't expect anything else, Evans."

* * *

He knew it couldn't have lasted – he was surprised to have gone this long without the others questioning his relationship with Lily, but still...

"Are you two _going out_?" Sirius asked, his voice low and hushed at the dinner table that evening. The Hufflepuff table was in high spirits, their team mates being hailed as champions when they entered the Great Hall. Even the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw teams applauded at their entrance; according to James, it had been a brilliant match, both teams had played well, but the Hufflepuff team had been, in his words, "just amazing, pure brilliance."

So, it was no surprise that by everyone who had gone to the match, the Hufflepuff team were seen as champions. Sirius explained to Remus that Slytherin had won the Quidditch Cup the last two years in a row, and he'd sneaked up on some of them after the match. They were scared that their streak would be broken by the Hufflepuff team who, up until that year, had been a rubbish mesh of rubbish players.

"No, we're not," Remus groaned, rolling his eyes and letting out a sigh. "We're just friends, all right?"

"But she's a girl!" Peter piped up. "You can't just be friends with a girl, can you?" He glanced at James and Sirius, eyes wide.

"I guess I'm friends with my cousin," Sirius muttered, considering it. "But she's family, so it's different."

"Friends with one of the banshees?" James gasped, eyes darting to the Slytherin table. The nickname had come about when Sirius had explained how the pair would squeal and yell in the house when Sirius did something exceptionally funny; like put a spider in their beds or planted a snake in the rooms they used when they stayed with their aunt and uncle, aka Sirius' parents.

"Nah, not one of those two – Andromeda. She's in Ravenclaw."

"Of course you can be friends with a girl," Remus snapped, frowning as he stared down at his plate. "It's a stupid question," Remus told Peter, who blushed and glanced away.

Still, what they said worried him, slightly. He questioned his own words, and wondered if Lily wanted something more than friendship – girls wanted to _kiss _boys, he knew, or so James and Sirius had told him. But he didn't want to kiss Lily. He didn't want to kiss any girl! Girls kind of scared him. Lily and Alice didn't, of course, but he felt scared of the other girls in their house, especially when he heard them giggling and laughing at this or that. Girls, Remus thought, were odd, strange creatures.

Still, he enjoyed the company of Lily and Alice – they were a nice break from James, Sirius and Peter. But he still preferred hanging out with the boys – after all, they were his best friends.

Weren't they?

"Ugh, look at simpering Severus following Caedmon," Sirius muttered darkly, and the boys turned their attention to the teachers table, where Professor Caedmon had just stood up, only to be approached by the first year Slytherin.

James frowned as he watched Severus follow Caedmon out of the Great Hall.

Defence Against the Dark Arts had proved to be one of James' strongest subject, along with Charms. Defence was the only class Remus saw him actually pay rapt attention to. It was also the only class in which James and Sirius behaved. Remus thought it was because they didn't want to face the wrath of Professor Caedmon, but in reality, James had too much respect for the man to misbehave.

In essence, James worshipped the man and, although he hadn't confessed it to his friends, he wanted to be just like him.

And he wanted to be better than simpering Snape at the subject.

He quickly made his excuses and disappeared from the Great Hall, heading to the library.

"Alice!" James hissed, poking his head around a book shelf when he spotted the girl around the other side. She jumped, before turning to face him.

"Potter? What are you doing here?"

James blushed. "I'm doing the homework for Defence – can you help me? I can't seem to find the right books."

Alice frowned, approaching him slowly. "OK, who hit you with a Confundus charm? As far as I was aware, James Potter copied off Remus Lupin and was never, _ever _seen in the library."

The blush deepened. "I...I haven't told the guys...can you keep a secret?"

Her frown quickly turned into a grin. "Of course!"

"I want to do well in Caedmon's class. I...I think I want to be an Auror. And Caedmon said we have to show consistent good work from first year on if we want to carry on in his class to O.W.L and N.E.W.T."

Alice tilted her head to one side, before letting out a sigh and moving around the shelf to join him in front of the Defence Against the Dark Arts books. She reached forward, pulling a few out and handing them to him. "You'll need these, but I am not going to tell you the page number. You can look that up in the index."

James nodded. "What are you here for, anyway?"

"Charms," she groaned. "I'm really struggling with it. I just don't seem to have that natural ability that you or Lily have."

James chuckled. "You flatter me, Prewitt. Who hit you with a Confundus charm?"

"Well, it's true. Remus is good at everything but even he can't match you two in Charms. You don't give yourself enough credit, Potter."

"Remus keeps telling me that," he mused, thinking over the conversation they'd had at dinner. Maybe Remus was right, maybe they could be friends with girls.

"Yes, and he keeps telling me and Lily that, too. Sirius seems pretty good at Transfiguration, Peter is getting the hang on Herbology quite quickly...you four could be a force to be reckoned with, you know."

"And what about you and Miss Goody Two Shoes?" he nudged her. "You two are excelling at everything. You could match us, you know."

She rolled her eyes before placing her Charms books on a nearby table.

"If you help me with Defence," he muttered, sitting down opposite her. "I can help you with Charms?"

"Deal!" she grinned, and the two settled in for a night of study, helping each other whenever the other one found themselves struggling.


	11. Chapter Ten

**A/N: This chapter is a lot shorter than the other ones, but I really felt like it was the best place to cut it off. A huge thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favourited or subscribed to this - it really means a lot to me. One reviewer pointed out that James' best subject was not Charms, and it's sparked off a few different ideas for this - basically, even the smallest thing can change this, spark off a new direction, etc. Thanks again, and I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

Halloween was soon upon them, and the two weeks before it had been the busiest of Remus' life.

Sirius and James had cornered him mid-October, asking him to help them come up with a prank for Halloween. At first, the boy had been reluctant, but they had pestered him until he had agreed.

"This is a third year spell," Sirius protested, when Remus outlined his ideas. "And for this one, we'd need a fourth year potion!"

Remus glanced down at the parchment he'd written his ideas on. Sirius was right; the ideas he'd had all involved spells or potions that were above their level. He frowned, flicking through the book he had on his lap. The four boys were gathered in the dorm, sitting on Remus' bed, able to get some privacy as both William and Michael were in the Common Room.

"I think I could do this one," he had told Sirius, pointing to a fifth year spell. "Maybe."

James leapt up from the bed, standing to the side and facing Remus. "Try it on me."

Remus nodded, pointed his wand at his friend and whispered the spell, his hands making the complicated shape with the wand that was needed to go along with it. James winced, his eyes squeezing shut tightly as he felt a tingling in his scalp, stretching down over his face and body.

"Wow," Sirius gasped, staring, open mouthed, at James.

James' body had turned a strange, transparent white colour, and the other three boys were able to see through him to the rest of the dorm.

Remus whispered the counter spell and James' robe turned black once more, his skin returning to its natural colour. His grin stretched across his face, revealing his teeth.

"Now we've just got to figure out how to hit the whole Slytherin table with that," Sirius muttered gloomily, as Peter whooped.

During the two weeks, they had found a disused classroom and practised the spell in there, Remus teaching it to them over and over.

"You should become a teacher," Peter said, one evening as James shot him with the spell, turning the lower half of his body transparent. "You're really good, Remus!"

Remus had thanked him, before moving to James' side and adjusting his hand position. They had a week left to Halloween, a week left to perfect the spell so that all four of them could unleash it at the same time. James' invisibility cloak sat on the desk, pushed up against the back door. Outside, the sky was a stormy grey, and Remus was glad that the full moon fell at the start of November, just after Halloween; he wouldn't have to miss out on the prank.

His first full moon had gone, well, as well as it could have; it had passed by without comment, the boys accepting that he had to go home at the end of the first month of the term. Madam Pomfrey had taken him down to the tree known as the Whomping Willow and he'd gone through the tunnel until he'd reached the abandoned house at the other end. The wolf had loved it – it had had more freedom than it ever had before, and it had run around the house, enjoying the new space.

Now, Remus glanced up at his friends and took a deep breath, before going through the basics of the spell with them once more. James was good at Charms, but even he was struggling with it.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea," Remus groaned, glancing down at his foot, through which he could see the floor. "It's too advanced."

As he let out a sigh and reversed the spell on his foot, he heard James cry the spell and aim his wand at Sirius.

All four of them let out cries of joy as Sirius became transparent.

"Sirius! You look like a ghost!" James laughed, glancing towards Remus with a large grin on his face. "You were saying something, Lupin?"

Remus shook his head, but was unable to hide the smile creeping over his face.

The Great Hall was decorated for Halloween.

Remus had never seen such extravagance; even at Christmas, at home the house was decorated lightly and sparingly. Now, he was confronted with live bats flying around, with cobweb-like tinsel hanging around the hall and he found himself staring around at the huge amount of pumpkins placed around the hall, each one with a different face carved into it, some even made to look like the teachers or famous witches and wizards.

Even the ghosts, who the students rarely saw, got into the spirit of the evening. They would hide behind the statues of knights, or linger high above the tables, darting out or down onto unsuspecting students. Laughter filled the Great Hall as the students came in.

Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor ghost, floated over to the end of the table, where Sirius, Remus, James and Peter sat, and hovered there, smiling at the boys.

"Oh, I do love Halloween!" he exclaimed, then let out a long, drawn out sigh. "Oh, but it does remind me of my death!"

Sirius' head snapped up from the food, grinning at Nick with a morbid grin. "How'd you die, Nick?"

"Beheading," he wailed. "On the 31st October. It's a painful day for me."

"But you said you loved Halloween!" Peter squeaked, his mouth full of food that looked, on the plates, almost inedible. Even the food was decorated for the event, but the boys, after tasting the green sausages and blood red meat, found that despite appearances, it was delicious.

Nick glared at him, and Peter shrank back. "I used to. Back when I was alive." Another sigh escaped the ghost. "You young do not appreciate life."

"I do!" Sirius grinned. "I'm glad I'm not dead, ergo, I appreciate life!"

Nick rolled his eyes. "That is not what I meant, Mr Black. Oh look, there are some fifth years at the other end and let me tell you, they are much more interesting to talk to. _They _appreciate all I have seen!" he scoffed, before drifting through the table and coming to a stop beside the group at the other end.

James and Sirius glanced at each other, shrugged, and then dug back into their food.

Remus pushed his sausage around his plate, musing over Nick's words. _You do not appreciate life_. He didn't think he even knew how to appreciate it, not really. Not with the pain he had to go through every month.

"Hey, Rem," Sirius cried, attracting the smaller boy's attention. "You going to finish that sausage?"

"No," Remus sighed, pushing his plate towards Sirius. He let out a whoop before digging into Remus' leftovers.

Once deserts were almost finished, James gave a curt nod. At once, the four boys, under the table, pointed their wants towards the Slytherin's table and, as one, whispered the spell.

Sirius had finally got the hang of the spell a few days before; Peter had only managed to cast it fully a few times the night before. The spell hit, and though a lot of the Slytherins turned transparent, looking a lot like the ghosts who floated around, some remained half-transparent and half-not. It was a brilliant sight to behold, and the Great Hall erupted into laughter.

Remus couldn't help but glance at the teacher's table, as Professor Slughorn leapt off his seat and barrelled towards his students. Sirius' cousins were screaming bloody murder as they gazed around the hall, determined to find the culprit. Everyone was looking at the Slytherin table, everyone except for Professor Dumbledore.

Remus was pretty sure he was the only one who noticed when the headmaster glanced towards them, a strange twinkle in his eyes and a half smile on his face before he stood up and called for quiet calm. He pointed his wand at the Slytherin students, muttered something under his breath and performed the counter spell.

"Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, if you could..."

Both professors nodded and stood up, performing the counter-spell alongside Dumbledore. Soon, all of the students had been returned to their original forms, and were crying out for punishment.

"I guarantee a full investigation..."

"Professor Dumbledore."

The voice cut through the Great Hall, and everyone turned to see a tall figure standing at the door of the Great Hall, a man who looked to be in his early thirties, and who cut an impressive figure. The hall fell deathly silent as he walked up, between the tables, towards Professor Dumbledore.

It was the first time most of the students had actually seen Dumbledore look scared, but it wouldn't be the last, and none of them were aware that this was just the beginning.


	12. Chapter Eleven

Quickly, the look of fear was covered up by Dumbledore and he strode towards the man, forcing himself to smile.

"Alastor," he greeted, as the man moved up the hall towards the headmaster. They met near the middle, shaking hands as the students watched them. Dumbledore bent closely into the man, listening as he spoke. The headmaster's face turned grave once more, and his eyes roamed over the hall until they fell on a third year Ravenclaw girl. He nodded, before striding down the Great Hall with Alastor at his side and leaving through the main doors.

Up at the teacher's table, Caedmon stood up and darted out, leaving before the students started talking. Most of the teachers glanced nervously at each other, as if waiting for bad news.

"Come on," James hissed, standing up. Other students had begun to leave now, including the third year girl who Dumbledore had looked at. Her friends were glancing curiously at her, while she just gazed around, confused but knowing everyone was looking at her. "I've got an idea."

Soon, James and Sirius found themselves darting out of the Gryffindor Tower, hidden under the invisibility cloak as they headed towards Dumbledore's office. Remus and Peter had both opted out; Remus told them it was difficult enough moving around the castle with four of them under there, and that they'd be better off just having two of them. So, James and Sirius waited near the entrance and soon, Professor Caedmon came striding down the corridor, towards the gargoyle that protected the entrance.

He whispered the password, too quiet for the boys to hear, but as he entered they slid in quickly behind him, finding themselves standing on a stairwell that turned, lifting them upwards.

Caedmon knocked, and entered when Dumbledore called for him to do so. Once more, the two boys slid in behind him. Sirius held back from gasping out _wow _when he saw the phoenix standing on a perch, near the door. The two boys moved into the corner, as Caedmon took a seat beside the man called Alastor.

"Moody," Caedmon greeted, with a slight nod, before turning to the headmaster. "Professor, may I ask..."

"Lisa Smith's parents," Dumbledore spoke quietly and slowly, "have been found murdered, Professor Caedmon."

At this, Caedmon's shoulders shuddered and he put his hand to his eyes, rubbing them gently. "Poor girl."

"There's more," Alastor Moody growled. "There was a symbol, over the house, burning in the sky."

"Merlin," Caedmon shuddered again. "So, we know it was wizards?"

"Certainly." Dumbledore stood up, moving towards the back of the room, towards a large window that looked out over the grounds of Hogwarts.

"Why, though?" Caedmon hissed. "I don't understand! They were Muggles, Albus! Merlin, he was a Muggle doctor!"

"And we are investigating it fully," Moody muttered, slowly lifting his head. His eyes darted towards the corner where the boys were hiding, and he frowned, before glancing back at Caedmon. "I assume you have met Lisa Smith's parents?"

Caedmon nodded. "When she was sent her letter. I went and explained to them what would be happening, what was happening. As myself and many of the other teachers do for Muggle-born students."

"And what did you think of them?"

"Albus!" Caedmon cried, turning once more to Dumbledore. "Is this an interrogation?"

Moody scoffed and Dumbledore lifted a hand in the air, silencing both men. "Alastor?"

Alastor Moody sighed. "You must understand, we need to speak to anyone we can."

"Then you will make your intentions know," Dumbledore sighed, taking off his glasses and wiping them on his robe. "Please, Alastor."

"You'd like to see me behind bars, wouldn't you, Moody?" Caedmon hissed.

"I want to see the culprit in Azkaban, Caedmon."

"Alastor, Gawain, please, leave your school Quidditch rivalries behind." His voice held just a hint of growl, a warning, a threat as he glanced from one man to another. "Alastor, I assure you every member of the Hogwarts staff will co-operate with you, but right now, Professor Caedmon needs to speak to Lisa Smith. She is a member of his house and she needs to be told. If you need to speak to anyone, please return tomorrow."

Alastor Moody stood up, nodded curtly to Dumbledore. "Of course. I will send an owl ahead."

Dumbledore nodded before Alastor turned to the door. Professor Caedmon, too, stood up and followed him. As both men left, James thought he saw Professor Dumbledore looking straight at the two boys, a slight frown on his face. Before he could think more on it, Sirius was tugging at his robe. The two boys followed the men out of the room and rushed back to the Gryffindor tower, eager to tell Remus and Peter what they had heard.

* * *

The next day, the news was all over the school that Lisa's parents had been murdered. But no one knew anything else – except for James, Sirius, Remus and Peter.

Lisa had been seen at breakfast, struggling to hold back tears at the Ravenclaw table, before her friends rushed her out. She wasn't present at lunch or dinner. All day, the teachers seemed subdued, and not as eager as usual to teach.

Professor McGonagall looked close to tears as she struggled through the spell they were trying to learn, Professor Flitwick's voice kept reaching a high pitched squeak, and Professor Caedmon spent long periods staring out of the window, eyes wide and seeming deep in thought.

The first years were too scared to break him out of his revere, and his class was deathly quiet, as each student got on with the textbook questions he had set them.

Something was changing over Hogwarts; for a brief moment in time, the stability and safety of the school was in doubt, and although the students did not know the full story, they could still feel the fear leaking from the teachers.

And then, mid-November, Lisa Smith returned to school and life returned to normal; with her appearance, it seemed that the fear that had skated through the school had evaporated, and, even better for most of the students, the second Quidditch match of the year was going to take place.

* * *

Even Remus did not want to miss the match. As one, the crowds moved towards the pitch, eager and keen to watch Gryffindor versus Slytherin. The house rivalries were at their strongest between the two houses, and during the lead up to the match Slytherin students tried to jinx, hex and trip up the Gryffindor players. Not that the Gryffindors weren't playing dirty, either.

One of the Slytherin players became ill the week before the match, and was rushed to the Hospital Wing. Remus returned from the library unusually late that night, and immediately James was upon him, whispering 'good job' in his ear with a wide grin. Another player found that a pig's ear and pigs snout had replaced his normal ears and nose, two days before they were due to play.

James and Sirius entered the Common Room just after he'd been taken to the Hospital Wing, giving Remus and Peter a quick thumbs up.

It was a tense week, for both teams.

The Hospital Wing had a steady stream of players moving in and out, although a few other students ended up going there, too, caught in the cross fire. Remus was relieved that the full moon had been and gone; the Hospital Wing had thankfully been empty, as he lay in bed there, recovering. James, Sirius and Peter had all politely inquired about the health of his sick relative; so far, the story of a sick aunt was holding up well.

Come the day of the match, both teams were using one reserve. The boy who'd been sent into the Wing the week before had made a recovery, but pig-boy, as the other houses were not-so-affectionately calling him, was unable to play, meaning Slytherin had to use a reserve Chaser. Similarly, on the Gryffindor team, a second year student was playing his first match as Keeper, a reserve to replace the girl who had been hit with a jinx the night before.

The captains crossed towards each other and shook hands, their faces set into grimaces, before Professor York blew the whistle and both teams took off.

Remus watched as the Chasers threw the quaffle between them, the other team chasing whoever had it in possession. Thirty minutes in, the Keepers had had nothing to do. The defence on both teams was astonishing, as Sirius pointed out.

"They're not letting the quaffle get anywhere near the goals," he exclaimed, eyes snapping to see one of the Slytherin Beaters smack a bludger towards one of the Gryffindor Chasers, a girl who had managed to get quite close to the goals before the bludger hit her and she was forced to drop the large, red ball.

Meanwhile, the Seekers circled the pitch as a fifth year Hufflepuff conducted the commentary on the match. "Cooper on the Gryffindor team with the quaffle there, folks. And look at her go! She is quick, ladies and gentlemen, the fastest player on the pitch this match and...Oh! Looks like she's dropped the quaffle only to have it caught by Slytherin Chaser Mark Davies! This boy is going for it with all he's got..."

Groans from the Gryffindor crowd as the quaffle sailed past the reserve keeper. James' fists were clenched at his side as his eyes followed, not the quaffle, but something else. Sirius glanced towards him.

"You all right, mate? Only the action is happening at the other end..."

James shook his head as Gryffindor students hurled abuse at the Slytherin team. James eyes flickered around the pitch, following something that neither of the other three could see.

"It's right by you," James hissed, his eyes fixed on the Gryffindor Seeker, a sixth year called Robert Wood. Suddenly, the Slytherin Seeker roughly turned his broom around and started to fly towards Wood. Wood glanced over his shoulder and spotted the Snitch, hovering at the other end of his broom. He made a lunge for it as the Slytherin Seeker got closer, and ended up falling forward, off his broom. The snitch darted off, flying through the air and disappearing as Wood reached up and grabbed a hold of his broom handle. One of the Gryffindor Chasers turned his broom in mid air and flew towards Wood, helping him get back onto the broom.

The Slytherin Seeker scowled, before turned away from the pair and flying off down the other end.

James was frowning as he sat back in his seat, but in all the commotion, with the Gryffindor players distracted by Wood's leap and almost-fall, one of the Slytherin Chasers managed to score.

Soon after, Slytherin scored twice more and then Gryffindor, somehow, managed to get another goal in. Remus felt himself trembling, just watching the students on the brooms, struggling not to fall off when they got hit by a bludger, or when another player flew a bit too close.

Soon, the rain started.

It began with small drops, but gradually, both spectators and players were soaked through, the seekers squinting through the rain to try to see the snitch.

Once more, James spotted it before either of the seekers.

"There," he hissed, pointing directly opposite the Gryffindor spectators. "See it?" he asked Remus, who nodded when he spotted the small gold ball, darting around in front of the Ravenclaw stand, just below the eye line of those Ravenclaw students who had come to watch the game.

James muttered something under his breath about rubbish seekers, his eyes darting between the seekers on each team. Wood was flying above the pitch, near the goal, and the Slytherin Seeker was darting around near the middle of the pitch.

"If Wood doesn't see it now, then..."

He trailed off, as Wood started to fly, slowly at first, towards the Ravenclaw stand. The Slytherin Seeker didn't pay him any attention, assuming that Wood would be moving much quicker if he had spotted the elusive snitch.

Finally, Wood leant forward, a burst of speed carrying him on. The Slytherin seeker turned but too late; Wood reached out, his hand wrapping around the snitch.

Cheering erupted from the Gryffindor stand and the Hufflepuff conducting the commentary cried out "the match is over! Gryffindor have won!"


	13. Chapter Twelve

There was another full moon at the end of the first week of December, a week before the students would be leaving to go home for the holidays, if they were going home at all. Remus couldn't believe how quickly the first term had gone, and he found himself promising his friends that he'd be back in a few short days to spend the Christmas holidays with them.

"You will come back, won't you?" James asked in the common room, the day before Remus was scheduled to 'leave to go home to visit his sick aunt'. "We've got loads of plans for the holidays, Remus!"

"I will," Remus grinned, nodding eagerly as Sirius grumbled about his homework. "Don't worry; I'll be back in a couple of days."

"Good," Sirius muttered, lifting his head. "Because I really need help with this History essay, Remus."

Remus rolled his eyes before reaching forward and picking up the essay, scanning over it and making any corrections he deemed necessary before writing down, in different coloured ink, the other points that Sirius could include. He grinned at his friend before handing the essay back.

"There."

"Remus?"

All of the boys turned to see Lily Evans standing close to them, clutching a pair of books close to her chest, eyes wide and worried, skin pale.

Remus leapt up and darted forward. "What's wrong?" he asked, worry evident on his face. She glanced over at the other boys, who quickly turned back to their own work, pretending not to hear.

"Can I talk to you?" she whispered. "In private?"

Remus glanced across the room to see William and Michael engaged in a game of exploding snap. He nodded and gestured to the stairs leading up to the boy's dorm.

Lily followed meekly behind him as he led the way, James', Sirius' and Peter's eyes on his back as they went. Soon they made it to the room and Remus pushed the door closed behind them before turning to Lily.

"What's wrong?"

"Everyone is saying that Lisa Smith's parents were killed because she's a Muggle born." Her voice trembled as she spoke, quivering with every syllable. Remus nodded, before realising what Lily was really saying.

"Your parents will be fine."

Not that he was sure. The circumstances surrounding Lisa's parent's death were still murky, still clouded; none of the students knew the reality, and as far as Remus was concerned only his small group of friends knew what had been discussed in Dumbledore's office. Even that was little to go on.

"I'm scared," she sighed, before sitting on the end of the nearest bed. Remus didn't inform her that it was James' bed; right now, he knew what was on her mind was more important.

"Don't be."

"I haven't told them."

"You don't need to."

"But..." she shuddered. "What if...what if something happens and I'm not there and they don't know, Remus? What if..."

He waved a hand through the air. "Don't...Lily; you can't put yourself through this."

She nodded, slowly, carefully.

"Have you spoken to Alice about this?"

She shook her head.

"Why don't you?"

Slowly, she blinked at him, as if the thought hadn't occurred to her. "I don't know. Alice is...she's always worrying, about school work. About working hard and getting everything done. I don't want her to worry about me, too."

"She's your friend," he mumbled.

"And friends shouldn't have secrets," she sighed.

Remus bit down on his bottom lip, forcing himself to nod, to agree with her even as, inside, a voice was screaming at him that he was wrong, he was lying to her and how could he do that? He took a step towards her.

"Speak to Alice. But she'll say the same as me – your family will be fine."

"Petunia hasn't written to me," she explained, "at all. My parent's send letters back with the owl I send, but she...she never sends anything. I think she hates me, Remus."

"How could your own sister hate you?"

Lily turned her head away; eyes closed and bottom lip trembling. She remained silent for a few minutes before taking a deep breath and standing up. "I'd better go. Thank you." Her voice shook but Remus ignored it, watching as she crossed the room and left, leaving him standing in the middle of the dorm, wondering what, really, had just happened.

* * *

Remus walked quickly through the tunnel, glancing over his shoulder every few seconds. He couldn't help it; he couldn't help the feeling of paranoia that overtook him this time every month. Finally, he came out of the tunnel and stepped into the Shrieking Shack, eyes glancing over the walls, taking in the sight of the upturned, destroyed, scratched-to-hell furniture.

All his doing.

Specks of blood littered small parts of his vision, small amounts which wouldn't be noticeable if you were unaware of what had made them. Remus rubbed at his neck, where there was the slightest of scars from the last full moon, where the wolf had grown frustrated and started biting at his own skin.

Remus glanced behind him at the tunnel, and drawing up the small ounces of strength he tended to get around the full moon, he pushed a heavy chest of drawers over the entrance. It wasn't much, but it was enough to make sure the wolf did not get out. Having done that, he stripped down to his underpants and placed the clothes in the drawer, shivering in the cold, listening to the wind howl through the house.

Finally, he took off his underwear and put the pants with the rest of the clothes before grabbing a nearby thin brown blanket and wrapping it around his body. Remus left the room and climbed up the stairs, entering what he thought must have once been the master bedroom.

In here, he pulled back the ripped duvet on the bed and crawled into it, lying on his back and facing the ceiling. Remus took a deep breath, his body shuddering, as he waited for the inevitable change.

He had done it so many times that he could now feel even the slightest, smallest change in his body as it prepared for the wolf to take over. It started with a feeling in his feet, a strange sensation of pins and needles mixed with cramp, sharp stinging pains in over his small feet and a pain paralyzing his ankle. He winced, closing his eyes and trying to take himself away from the pain.

When he was young, when it started happening, he liked to pretend that he was not just a werewolf; he was a good, kind werewolf who, during the full moon, would gallop into the woods or forest and help out any animals in need. He concocted a whole world in which he was a good wolf, stories stemming from his imagination, stories about all the great stuff he had and would do.

But the memories of the actual nights were too powerful.

When he changed back to a human in daylight, the memories would start to slip away from him like half-forgotten dreams, but as soon as he actually slept they attacked him full force, nightmares so vivid that he had had to request that Professor York cast a constant silencing charm around his bed, lest the other boys hear the screams that erupted from the boy as he relived the change and the night as a wolf.

Remus cried out as the sharp shooting pain spread up his leg, feeling it deep in his bones as they started to break and reform. Fur started to sprout from every inch of skin, every small patch bringing forth a new burst of pain.

He threw himself off the bed.

Still crying out, with tears streaming down his face, he felt as his back arched and his nose lengthened, his screams turning into howls as the wolf took over.

* * *

"Do you really think he's OK?" Sirius leant forward, slamming down his card over the pile forming on the table. He frowned as the King of Spades winked at him, before it was covered for a moment by Peter's hand, drawing away to reveal the Five of Diamonds.

"Why wouldn't he be?" James mumbled, the end of his quill in his mouth as he stared at the parchment in his hand.

"He just never looks too happy to be going home, you know?" Sirius tilted his head to look at James, as Peter cried 'snap' and the cards ignited. Sirius glanced over to see the charred remains of two Queens on the pile of once shiny cards.

"Of course he isn't," James sighed, "he's visiting a sick relative. If I had to do that every month I wouldn't be too happy, either."

Peter nodded, glancing up and fixing his gaze on Sirius. "Sirius, are you OK?"

"Sure, sure," Sirius smiled, waving a hand through the air. "But, I don't know, it just seems a bit odd, you know?"

James sighed. "Look, mate, if he has to or wants to go home, there's nothing we can do about it."

"But he never talks about it!"

"We've only known each other a few months," Peter piped up, leaning back.

"And if he doesn't want to talk about it," James sighed, "we shouldn't make him. Wait for him, Sirius."

"OK," Sirius groaned. "OK, I will."

* * *

Remus woke in the morning with a body aching from head to toe, new cuts and scratches in his skin, some deeper than they should have been. The wolf had been nervous, scared, and Remus knew why. The wolf still wasn't sure where this place was. The wolf kept expecting to wake up in his own home, in his own den, not this strange building that was not yet fully his.

Slowly, Remus rolled off the bed and groaned as he fell to the floor, knees hitting the wood as he winced and tried not to cry. Pain darted through his body. Small sharp spikes of it spread across his skin, as he crouched on the floor. Eventually, he climbed to his feet and made his way towards the door. He didn't know how the wolf did it, but if he started the night on the bed he seemed to end it there, too. He guessed it was its familiarity, the way it smelt of Remus and the wolf combined.

After what seemed an age, he lifted his hand and turned the handle, moving slowly down the stairs towards the room which hid the entrance. Remus groaned as he staggered, falling into the wall, closing his eyes and resting his head against it briefly.

"Remus?"

The voice jolted him upright and he darted forward, skidding to a stop when he remembered how naked he was. The door before him opened, and out of it, hovering in the air, were his clothes. Clumsily, he reached forward and grabbed them, pulling them on before stepping into the room to see Professor York standing beside the chest of drawers.

The flying professor cast his eyes over Remus before stepping forward and handing him a small vial.

"Here, drink this, it will help with the pain."

Remus nodded before accepting the vial and uncorking it, tilting his head back and allowing the soothing liquid to drop down his throat. When he'd finished, Professor York handed him a bar of chocolate.

"Sugar," he chuckled, "will help, too."

Remus nodded, unwrapping the chocolate and eating it slowly. He glanced towards Professor York.

"You don't usually come here," he muttered, his tongue working around the pieces of chocolate in order to speak.

"I know," he nodded. "But I thought I'd come check on you and walk you back up the castle. Madam Pomfrey requested I come; she's busy with a few other students. Bout of flu is making its way around."

Remus nodded, surprised at how Professor York addressed him. He didn't speak to him like he was a child, or a monster, but more of an adult. He spoke to him as if he understood, as if he was aware of what Remus had been through.

York placed his hand on Remus' shoulder and led him up the tunnel, squeezing gently whenever Remus faltered. "How does the wolf find the shack?"

"He doesn't like it," Remus moaned. "It's too different, to what it's used to."

_The wolf. _He didn't ask how Remus found it, he didn't lumber the two together. Rather, like Remus himself, he separated them into two different beings.

"The villagers think it is haunted," York chuckled. "Myself and those others who know helped promote the rumours. Dumbledore has placed a charm on the Shack to create noises during other times of the month."

"Thank you."

"It is no problem." York ducked forward, darting out of the tunnel with Remus close behind. The small boy blinked in the sunlight, surprised at how bright it was. "Remus, please, understand that we will protect you, we will look after you, and if you ever need someone to talk to, we're here. Myself, Dumbledore and Professor Caedmon all want what is best for you."

"But I'm..." he squeaked, before shaking his head and turning away from Professor York, speeding up slightly.

"Remus!" York ran after him, his hand once more gently grabbing the small boy's shoulder. "Remus, what were you going to say?"

"Nothing," the boy mumbled.

"Remus, please?"

"I'm a monster," he mumbled. "Why would you want to help me?"

"You're not a monster, Remus," York sighed. "Please, don't think you are. You're a boy in an unfortunate position, surely you can see that?"

They reached the doors, and York stretched across the boy to open them. Remus shook his head, causing York to sigh again.

"You should not have to deal with this," York mumbled, rubbing his head as they started to walk to the hospital wing. "Please, Remus, come see me in a couple of days? When classes finish?"

"OK, sir," Remus mumbled, and they fell into a strange silence as they made their way through the castle, York surveying Remus with a look containing mixtures of pity and admiration, unable to believe how the boy hadn't broken down, how he managed to keep going and continue with his studies, despite the presence of the beast lurking inside him, breaking out every full moon and taking over Remus' body for its own.


	14. Chapter Thirteen

Remus managed to avoid Professor York once classes had finished. With the free time they now found they had, the four boys took to exploring the castle even more. During the day, they left the invisibility cloak in the dorm, but once nightfall hit they threw it over the four of them and shuffled through the halls, avoiding the grumpy caretaker and his mangy cat.

As far as they were concerned, nothing in their little world could go wrong.

Homework was left, not to be concerned with until after the New Year. Slowly, they built up a map of the school and every so often, students would make their way to the Great Hall for breakfast with the odd feeling that something had changed, something so subtle that they could not put their hands on it.

Portraits were tilted to one side, statues' positions were changed. Small, juvenile things that entertained the four eleven year olds.

The day before Christmas Eve, they arrived at the Gryffindor table to find Arthur Weasley and Molly Prewitt sitting close together, the pair of them scanning the Daily Prophet. Molly was shaking, and all over the Great Hall older students were reading the same paper, with the same look of shock on their faces that the two Gryffindor students held.

"What's happened?" James glanced towards the paper as they sat opposite Molly and Arthur, trying to read it upside down. Arthur glanced at Molly, before taking a deep breath and pushing the paper towards the first years.

James frowned as he scanned the article the paper was open on.

"Rise in werewolf attacks," he mumbled, shaking his head. "Jesus, they're all kids."

Remus felt his blood run cold as he looked at the paper, as his eyes took in the sight of the six children who, at the last full moon, had all been bitten. Their photos smiled up at him, waving and happy, taken before the attack.

"Two muggle-borns," James sighed, "four wizarding children. All between the ages of four and seven."

"Kill them."

The voice came from behind James, and they half turned to see William shaking as he stared at the paper.

"Kill them, or lock them up. So they don't hurt anyone else."

"They're children," Sirius barked, shaking his head. "They're...they're just kids..."

"Sirius is right," Arthur sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Bit harsh to just cull them."

"He has a point though!" A third year girl piped up, leaning forward. "You let them roam about on the full moon and it'll happen more and more."

"It doesn't make sense," Molly whispered. "The article says they've never had such a high rate of attacks in such a condensed area – werewolves are solitary, aren't they? But...but..."

"_Believed to be the work of three different wolves, working together_," Peter read. "I don't know...what if...what if they do attack more? And then we're overrun and..."

"They won't," Sirius hissed, shaking his head. "Get a grip on yourselves. The likelihood is they'll keep the kids away from the other wolves, they'll keep an eye on them. Won't they?" He turned to Arthur, eyes begging him for an answer. Remus remained silent, too scared to say anything in case something slipped out.

"Maybe," Arthur mumbled, eyes darting to the teacher's table. Professor Caedmon was leaning towards Dumbledore, the pair in deep discussion. Across the row, the Professors were scanning the _Daily Prophet, _taking in this new information. Professor York glanced up, eyes landing on Remus before he flashed him a quick, reassuring smile, before returning to his discussion with Professor McGonagall.

"It's so strange," Molly sighed. "I...I can't remember anything like this happening before..."

Remus' eyes fell down to his plate of sausages, eggs and bacon. He thought back to the night he was changed, the night his parents had shown him the grave of his brother. Without realising it, tears welled up in Remus' eyes. Tears not for himself but for the other children whose lives had been destroyed.

"What about when they're older?" the third year girl cried. "I mean, the wizarding children, they won't allow them to come to Hogwarts, will they?"

Arthur shrugged. "I doubt it. There's no where they could change during the moon."

"Maybe they'll send them to Drumstrang," William hissed. "That's a Dark Arts school if there ever was one. I bet they'd be glad to have a couple of werewolves on hand."

James rolled his eyes before glancing back at the paper. "Well, whatever happens, I'm sure the Ministry will be able to deal with it. I thought they usually kept the werewolf attacks hush-hush..."

"They do, a few leak out every now and then but this? This is clearly something they think the public need to know," a sixth year boy interjected as he leant forward to grab some more bacon. "Clearly it's a problem of some sort."

"Remus, are you alright?" Sirius' head snapped towards his friend, surprised to see tears slowly rolling down Remus' cheeks. Remus looked up, realising that suddenly, everyone's eyes were on him.

"Oh, Remus," Molly sighed, reaching forward and lightly placing her hand over his. "It's OK, Remus, we're fine here."

"I need to go," Remus mumbled, leaping up and darting out of the Great Hall, as quickly as he could.

* * *

Hours later, and James, Sirius and Peter had seen no sign of their friend. Worried, they had gone all over the castle, looking in vain for him. They'd tried the Library, the dungeons, the Owlery and even the hospital wing, in case he had felt ill and fled there.

They had no luck.

Eventually, they found themselves looking out the windows of the fourth floor, staring out onto the snow covered grounds of Hogwarts. James' eyes roamed near the forest, while Sirius glanced towards the lake.

"There," Peter whispered, pointing towards the greenhouses. "I think I see footsteps..."

Together, they ran down the stairs and sprinted out of the main doors. Few of the students had taken advantage of the snow; when it had hit, it had hit hard and so far it hadn't let up long enough to do anything fun outside. Few were willing to brave this kind of weather unless they absolutely had to, and with no classes on, no one needed to.

James, Sirius and Peter stepped out onto freshly crisp snow. James immediately pulled his red and gold scarf around his mouth, protecting the lower half of his face from the harsh wind and the still falling snow. Sirius and Peter copied him before they moved forward, the three lighting their wands, allowing them to see despite the awful weather.

All too quickly, the small footsteps they had started to follow were being covered up by the snow.

James paused at the greenhouses, glancing at his friends as they all wondered where to go next.

Through the semi-darkness, Sirius spotted the flickering light in the hut of the groundskeeper, and he gestured towards it with a shrug. James nodded and together they moved towards the edge of the forest.

When they reached the door, James lifted his hand and rapped on it.

It opened, and the groundskeeper, a giant of a man, stood in front of them.

"Bloody 'ell," he cried, shaking his head. "I'm running a refuge for snow-covered students now, am I?" he chuckled, before moving back and allowing them to squeeze inside.

James took a deep breath as he yanked his scarf down, before he spotted the shape sitting at the table, stroking the head of the hound sitting beside him.

"Remus!" he cried, grinning as he moved forward. "Merlin, Remus, we've been looking for you all day!"

Remus glanced up, his skin going red as he looked at his three snow-covered friends. Hagrid pushed the door shut behind them, before moving over to his stove and heating up some water, glancing at the three new students to enter his hut.

"Well, not much room 'ere for all of you but, we'll make do. You shouldn't be out of the castle, not in this weather."

"We were looking for Remus," Sirius explained, crossing towards his friend. He leant down slightly, stroking the dog before looking at Remus. "Where'd you go?"

"For a walk," Remus mumbled. "I...I got a bit wet..."

Hagrid chuckled. "I saw him wondering by the lake, told him to come 'ere for a cuppa. Now, do you boys want some tea?"

"Yes, please," James nodded eagerly, grinning as he looked around at his friends, before his eyes landed on Remus. "How long were you outside for, Remus?"

The boy shrugged, trying to dodge the question. Hagrid glanced over to them, but continued on boiling the water as Remus shifted awkwardly in his seat. "Not long," he mumbled, finally.

"You sure?" Sirius pushed, leaning forward. "Mate, maybe we should take you to the hospital wing to get checked or something...you might have caught a cold or..."

"I'm fine," Remus grumbled, shaking his head. "Really, I'm fine. Just...leave it. I just needed air, that's all. Lost track of time in here."

James nodded, before glancing towards the window. "It's getting dark, we should be heading back soon."

Hagrid nodded, before placing the kettle on the table and smiling at the boys. "Not before you boys have a warm drink."

* * *

When they were ready to leave, Hagrid insisted on draping a large fur coat over them. The four easily fit under it and, in good spirits, they thanked the groundskeeper before leaving the hut and trudging back up to the castle, chatting excitedly about Christmas.

Remus remained fairly quiet as they walked back to the castle. It wasn't until they reached the doors that Sirius nudged him. "You looking forward to Christmas, Remus?"

"Oh, yeah," he sighed, forcing himself to smile. "Sure. Do you know what you're getting?"

"No idea," Sirius scoffed. "My family are rubbish when it comes to presents. Most likely a howler, having a go at me for getting into Gryffindor and not Slytherin."

"Yeah, because it'd be great if you were stuck with that slimy haired git," James spat as they walked past a group of Slytherins near the Great Hall, Severus among them. Together, they circled around the group and entered the hall, sliding up to the Gryffindor table.

The Great Hall was quiet. Most students had either finished eating or, it seemed, not come to dinner at all. The news of that morning had shocked the whole school; there was no sign of Dumbledore or the four Head of Houses at the Professor's table, and James was all too aware that this was not a good sign.

As the others ate, he picked at his own food, leaning over a piece of parchment as he wrote out a letter to his parents. He glanced upwards every so often at the Professor's table, a frown creasing his forehead as he pushed his glasses up his nose.

The other three ate in silent, all aware of the subdued feeling across the hall and the seemingly unanimous feeling that the werewolf attacks were just the beginning.


	15. Chapter Fourteen

Even the cheeriness of Christmas could not rid the castle of the tangible feeling of trouble brewing.

As Christmas Eve wore on, the Prefects were called away from the Common Rooms. The rest of the students made their way to the Great Hall for dinner, and a few were surprised to see the Prefects already there, sitting at their respective tables, deep in conversation with one another. All the teachers were present, too, and speculation flew around the Great Hall about what was happening, what was going on.

Every conversation seemed to be about the werewolf attacks.

Remus shuddered every time they were mentioned, glancing up at the teacher's table. York, Caedmon and Dumbledore, he couldn't help but notice, kept glancing at him, kept their eyes on him.

Finally, it seemed that most people had finished their dinners.

Some students started to leave, but froze when Dumbledore stood up and cleared his throat. They turned towards him, fixing their eyes on the headmaster as he raised a hand and gestured for them to sit back down. Silently, they obeyed. When the last student had finished their meal, he spoke.

"As I am sure you are all aware, there were a series of werewolf attacks in Yorkshire earlier this week." He took a deep breath. "I would like to remind pupils that while they are inside the walls of this school, they are perfectly safe. These attacks are nothing to worry about. I know many of your parents have expressed concern, but we have done all in our power to keep the students in this school safe for the years it has been open. If you do need to talk to someone, please approach your Prefects, the Head Boy or Girl, or your Head of Houses. Thank you."

He sat back down, folding his fingers together as Professor York leant towards him and whispered something in his ear. Arthur Weasley stood up, glanced up and down the Gryffindor table, and began to speak.

"Myself and the other Prefects have decided that, as it is Christmas tomorrow, there will be a small party in the Common Room for anyone who cares to join us." He smiled at the other students. "Hope to see you all there."

He and the others left the Great Hall, and soon the other Prefects left too. James raised an eyebrow as he looked at his friends.

"Do you think it's their attempt to make us forget the attacks?" Sirius muttered, glancing from the teacher's table to the entrance of the hall.

"Maybe," James shrugged. "Either way, it's a party. Come on, let's go."

* * *

Traditional Wizarding carols filled the common room, made louder by the addition of wands. House elves had laid out various foods, buffet style, against one wall of the room, and although most students were full from dinner, many still helped themselves to the small sandwiches and various sweet foods. In the middle, people were playing party games, drawing images in the air with their wands and getting team mates to guess what picture they were trying to create.

The room was full of festive cheer.

Remus, Sirius, James and Peter were settled on the floor, cross-legged, eating off small plates, carefully picking at the food as they laughed at a third year's attempt to draw a Hippogriff using their wand.

Remus glanced around the room until his gaze landed on Lily, sitting with Alice near the window. Without a word to the other boys, he stood up and crossed the Common Room until he was standing beside the two girls. Alice glanced up and flashed him a quick smile, while Lily's own smile was more reserved.

"Hey," Remus muttered. "Merry Christmas."

"Happy Christmas, Remus," Lily mumbled, running a hand through her hair. "I can't believe it's Christmas already."

"I know," Alice laughed. "It's come so quick, hasn't it?"

"Are you all right?" Remus questioned, carefully studying Lily. She nodded.

"Yes, I'm fine, Remus. Really. Just...tired."

He nodded, glancing towards Alice who just shook her head, giving him a 'don't-push-it' look. Remus forced himself to smile, as Lily turned away from him and looked out of the window. Her eyes were locked on the horizon, and Remus couldn't help but feel she was waiting for something.

"OK, well, I just wanted to wish you a happy Christmas. I'll...I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, tomorrow," Lily mumbled, nodding her head slowly as Remus backed away and rejoined the boys, listening to the carols being sung by the fifth years.

* * *

A loud foghorn sounded throughout the dorm the next morning, just as the sun was coming up over the horizon. Mike groaned in his bed, rolled over and pulled his duvet up around his head, trying to block out in the noise. Remus sat bolt upright, reaching for his wand as he leapt through the curtains to face the attackers, eyes-wide and mind, clearly, still half asleep. Peter stumbled out of bed, muttering something under his breath as he turned, bleary-eyed, towards the door.

William leapt out of the bed and tackled the two responsible for the foghorn.

It was as he leapt onto James, pinning him to the ground, when Remus fully awoke.

He withdrew his wand, aiming it at William, and found himself hesitating, trying to think of a spell to help in the situation. Mike finally scrambled out of his bed, staring wide eyed at the two boys on the floor. William had James pinned down, throwing punches at his face as Sirius stood beside them, too shocked to move.

Finally, Mike darted forward and wrapped his arms around William, trying to pull him off. Remus joined him and, despite his small size, with his added strength they were able to wrench the boy off James. Sirius helped his friend to stand, and Remus was surprised to see blood dripping in a steady stream from James' nose.

"I'm fed up of your bloody pranks," William hissed. "They're stupid, and immature. Why won't you just grow up?"

James wiped the back of his sleeve across his nose and glared at the other boy. "What's your problem, Wolfe? Jealous?"

"Why would I be jealous of James freaking Potter, born with a silver spoon in his mouth and the apple of his aging parent's eyes?"

James growled, taking a step forward only to be pulled back by Sirius.

"It's Christmas," Peter squeaked. "Can't we...you know...not...fight..."

"You're just as bad!" William cried, eyes darting from Peter to Sirius. "Both of you! Doted on since birth! Mr o_h look at me trying to not be a Black _when we know you're just as bad as the rest of them! You're going to turn out just like the rest of them!"

He pulled his arms out of Mike and Remus' grips, glaring at James.

"What have we done to _you_?" James scoffed, crossing his arms.

"Are you serious?" William growled, shaking his head. "All those stupid pranks you pull, and you're not even very good at not getting caught! Gryffindor are bottom, because of _you_! And as for me, personally, well, there's that spider you put in the shower, there's the _herbs _or whatever they were you added to my dinner a few weeks back and you destroyed my potion in the last week of term!"

James blushed, glancing towards Sirius who started to splutter something.

"Wolfe, look, we're sorry but we needed to test them out and..."

"Needed to?" William cried. "This is ridiculous! _Grow up_!"

With that, he stormed out of the room, leaving Mike standing there, looking awkwardly at the other boys. "I should...maybe I'll go...after..." he spluttered, before following in his friend's wake.

James frowned, leaning against the wall.

"Do you think we pushed him too far?"

Sirius shrugged. "Who cares right now? Presents!" he yelled, jumping back onto his bed and pulling the curtains open to reveal a small mound of presents. Remus turned back to his bed and smiled at seeing the pile there. In all the commotion, he'd almost forgotten it was Christmas.

Remus moved to his bed, sitting on the edge as he picked up the first present. He grinned, seeing it's bookish shape, and checked the tag.

_Merry Christmas, from James. _

He ripped it open to find a copy of _Wizarding Throughout the Ages; Volume One, The Founding of Hogwarts and the Creation of our World. _

"Thanks, James!" he called, before picking up another present. It was another book, this one from Sirius, and he opened it up to find volume two of the same series, this one entitled _Wizards on the High Seas_. He chuckled, before opening the present from Peter and finding three big bars of chocolate. He grinned, glancing up towards Peter who let out a small whoop.

Next, Remus picked up a present from Lily. Inside was a fancy quill, enchanted so that the ink came out in different colours when you tapped at certain points on the feather. Remus glanced around the room to see James staring at a pair of mirrors, frowning into them.

"Who's that from?" Sirius asked, sitting upright in his bed and looking at the set.

"I don't know..." James muttered, turning them over. "There was no tag."

The boys climbed out of their beds, presents temporarily left in piles, Remus trying to ignore the knowledge that there had been nothing there from his parents.

Part of his brain was worried they'd forgotten, somehow. The other part worried that something had happened to them.

Still, he pushed the thoughts away as James picked up a small piece of parchment that had been mixed in with the wrapping.

"What's it say?" Peter inched forward, standing beside Remus as they gathered around their friend's bed.

"_These mirrors are connected together; simply say the name of the person you wish to contact and it will show them to you, if they are in possession of the other mirror._"

He frowned, looking up and passing the mirror to Sirius.

"Sirius Black," he whispered, staring into his own mirror. James let out a surprised cry when Sirius' face appeared in his mirror. Sirius' jaw dropped as Remus leant over his shoulder to see James' own face reflected in the glass.

"Wow," Peter gasped, shaking his head. "That's...that's some strong magic."

James nodded. "This is great!" he cried. "I mean, think about what we can do with this..."

Remus frowned, crossing his arms as he glanced from James to Sirius. "But...but you don't know who it's from. It could be dangerous. It could be a trap."

"Why would anyone want to send a trap to a bunch of eleven year old students?" Sirius chuckled, clapping Remus on the back. "Don't fret, Remus. It's fine. Maybe it's some long lost relative of James? Or, like, a black sheep of the family who doesn't want James' parents to know he sent James a present?"

James nodded. "Could be. Though I'm sure most of my family are, you know, dead."

"Or they want you to think they are!" Sirius cried, a grin stretching across his face. "C'mon, it's safe. Don't worry, Remus! These are going to make things a lot easier."

Remus shook his head. "I still think you should get it checked by one of the teachers."

James scoffed. "And have them confiscated? No, thanks. Look, Remus, I know you're just looking out for us but Sirius is right. I'm sure it's fine."

Peter glanced from Remus to the other two, before shrugging. "They have a point, Remus."

Finally, Remus sighed and nodded. "OK, OK, keep the mirrors. But...but at least let me see if I can find anything about this sort of item in the library?"

"Of course," James nodded. "If you want to. But you know you don't have to..."

"I'd rather be safe than sorry," Remus replied, before he glanced down at his watch. "It's almost time for breakfast –we should get ready."

James nodded, flashed Remus a grin and pulled the curtains of his bed close. The other boys returned to their own beds, and although Remus felt slightly reassured about the mirrors, there was still a deep seated feeling in his gut that _something _wasn't right.

If only he knew what it was.


	16. Chapter Fifteen

Professor Caedmon was not at breakfast.

It seemed that the elves had put on a special Christmas day breakfast; the food was slightly richer than the students were used to, but they happily dug in anyway, tasting the tang of alcohol that had been mixed in with the bacon, nibbling at the smoked salmon and various egg based foods. James frowned as he looked up at the table, finding the absent of one teacher more than a bit noticeable.

The boys were a few of the first to make it down to breakfast.

Other students dribbled in slowly, chatting happily about the presents they had received while the older students shouted thanks across the hall to their friends in other houses.

They had bumped into William and Mike in the common room, and had been ignored by them while the other two boys returned to the dorm room.

"Forget them," Sirius had growled, "they're not worth the time."

Lily and Alice sat down the other end of the table, chatting happily, although Remus could tell that Lily's smile wasn't quite reaching her eyes.

Sirius reached forward, grabbing some scrambled egg and scooping it onto his plate before grinning. Remus rolled his eyes.

"Sirius, keep your mouth shut when you're eating – it's disgusting."

Sirius laughed, as James' eyes roamed over the hall.

Eventually, the meal was finished and the students filtered out, some heading to the large doors that would lead outside. Sirius, James, Peter and Remus followed the groups through the Entrance Hall until they reached the grounds, and before anyone could say anything, James had scooped up a pile of snow and thrown it at Sirius' back.

Needless to say, a snowball fight ensured.

The other students joined in, and soon they'd split off into teams. James crouched behind a makeshift fort with a second year Ravenclaw, a first year Hufflepuff and Peter. He grinned at them, as he scooped up more snow and folded his hands around it, forming it into a perfect ball shape.

He leapt up and hurled the snowball, managing to hit a second year Gryffindor on the back. A split second later, and four snowballs were flying towards him from Sirius, Remus and two third year Hufflepuff girls. They burst into laughter at seeing James standing there, water dripping from his hair.

Not far away, closer to the lake, a group of Slytherins were conducting their own snowball fight. None of them even bothered to ask if they could join the others, knowing exactly what the answer would be.

* * *

Professor Albus Dumbledore slid away from the window, turning to face Professor York. The Gryffindor Head of House stood on the other side of the desk, hands behind his back as he took a deep breath.

"Gawain will be fine," York muttered. "You know he's more than capable of looking after himself."

"I know, that is why I sent him," Dumbledore replied, lifting his head to stare at the phoenix sleeping in the corner. "The students, it worries me how separated the Slytherins are from the rest."

"It can't be helped," York shrugged. "The rivalries go back for generations, Albus. It cannot be helped."

"Do you not think we should encourage them to interact?"

"Slughorn does," he sighed. "To a certain extent, and for his own means. He takes advantage where he thinks he can. But, saying that, without him there would not be the advances that Pilgrim and Diski are making."

Albus nodded. "You are right. Still, Ravenclaw and Slytherin are perhaps the most likely to pair up, are they not? Not like Gryffindor and Slytherin."

"Some members of my house are too proud for their own good, but saying that, so are some Slytherins."

A wry grin crossed Albus' face. "You get proud students in every house, Matthew. But you are right; there are just some traditions that cannot be altered." He sank down in his chair, leaning back as he lifted his eyes, fixing them on York. "But the way things are going..."

"Do you think the murder of the Smiths and the werewolf attacks are connected?"

Albus nodded. "I do, and I do not think it is the end, Matthew. It's just the beginning, but the beginning of what, I do not know."

* * *

The students were laughing and chuckling among themselves as they made their way back into the castle, heading for the Great Hall. Water dripped off them, causing Flinch, the caretaker, to whisper curses under his breath as his cat stood at his side and he waited to mop up after the drenched students. Soon, the students were splitting up and sitting at their own respective tables, waiting for the food to appear.

It was one of the few times that food was served at a specific time, rather than the students having a few hours opening in which to casually drop in and grab something to eat. James, Sirius, Remus and Peter sat down, eagerly waiting the feast they knew was about to appear.

Once the hall was full, Professor Dumbledore stood up, raising his hands as he did so. A hushed silence fell across the room.

"Greetings, students, and a Merry Christmas to you all."

Cheers rose up from them all.

"I hope you have received gifts that you wanted, desired and needed. Alas, another year has passed without a single person giving me a single sock."

Uncertain laughter echoed around the hall, as the students wondered if their headmaster was being serious or perhaps joking with them. He smiled, his eyes twinkling.

"May I remind students that although your peers have gone home, the same rules apply during the holidays. The Forbidden Forest is, as the name suggest, off-bounds, and certain objects are still banned from the corridors and classrooms, the full extent of which can be found on the office of our caretaker, Filch. The library remains a quiet area for study, and anyone who needs somewhere else to work during the holidays may enquire with any teacher regarding spare rooms. Now, without further adieu, and as I can hear the rumbling of many hungry stomachs...enjoy your Christmas dinner."

More cheers as the food appeared in front of them.

Along with the food, crackers popped up beside each plate. Soon, the students were happily spooning turkey, roast potatoes, Yorkshire Puddings, carrots and sprouts and Swede onto their plates, along with a various assortment of other Christmassy foods. Sirius tilted the bowl of sausages wrapped in bacon towards his plate, letting out a whoop as a large amount slid out and landed in front of him.

"Best part," he whispered, winking at Peter as he fiercely stabbed his fork into one of the mini sausages.

"You are a pig, Sirius!" James laughed, delicately filling up his own plate. "Remus, here!" He held out one end of his cracker towards the other boy, and Remus grabbed it.

There was undoubtedly an air of joviality in the room as people pulled crackers and slid on various style hats. James and Remus pulled, laughing as a loud crack sounded around them. A pirate hat fell out, which James immediately swept up and put on, realising he had won. He tipped his end of the cracker forward, and grinned as a deck of mini exploding-snap cards fell out.

"Well done," Remus laughed, picking up his own cracker and holding it out to Peter. "Pete?"

This time, Remus won, and found himself with a small model of a Hippogriff that flew around his head and palm. He picked up the trilby and slid it onto his head before continuing with his meal.

Mid-way through, as people were starting to feel full and tired and the chatter started to die down, an owl swooped into the hall and flew straight towards Dumbledore. The headmaster stood up as it landed, gently taking the parchment from its leg.

He opened it up with the eyes of every student on him.

They watched as his hands trembled and he turned to look at Professor York, holding the parchment out towards him. York read it, eyes wide as Dumbledore turned to the students.

"Will the prefects please escort all students back to their Common Rooms. The Head of Houses will be with you shortly – thank you!" he boomed, and suddenly it was like a tidal wave had been unleashed.

Fear and panic of the unknown overtook the students as they leapt up and fled towards the doors, the prefects attempting to gain some semblance of order over them as they ushered them onwards.

James glanced towards Sirius, whose eyes were fixed on the table as Professor Dumbledore gathered the teachers around him and spoke to them. "Sirius, come on," Remus muttered, tugging at his friend's sleeve as Arthur Weasley approached them.

"Come on, boys," he muttered, gently pushing them towards the other students moving towards the door. "You heard the headmaster – we need to get back to the Common Room."

"I wonder what's happened," Sirius mumbled, turning away from the table and following the crowd. They snaked through the corridors, students disappearing at various points – the Slytherins made their way down to the dungeons, the Hufflepuffs headed down a different set of steps and the Ravenclaws turned off towards their own tower.

Finally, the boys arrived back at Gryffindor tower and piled into the Common Room. The prefects took a quick roll-call, before people drifted off to their dorms or settled themselves in the room. Sirius gestured towards the chairs they usually sat in, and the boys sank down onto the comfy seats, the four of them glancing uncertainly at each other.

William and Mike sat on the other side of the room with Lily and Alice. Lily, Remus couldn't help but notice, looked pale and shaky, and scared. He glanced at James, Sirius and Peter, as James took his mini pack of exploding snap cards out of his pocket and tapped them with his wand. The pack expanded, and he started to deal them out. Remus shook his head, stood up and headed to the boy's dorm, coming back minutes later with one of the books he had received that morning.

As the boys played snap, he started to read, glancing up every so often to look at Lily and Alice. The other girls from their dorm were sitting by themselves near the fireplace, engaged in a deep conversation.

After a while, Professor York climbed through the portrait hole and stood there, glancing around the room. His eyes fell on Arthur Weasley. "Mr Weasley, anyone missing?"

"No, sir," the prefect replied, straightening his chest as he handed over a piece of parchment. "Everyone is here."

"Good," York nodded, eyes roaming over the students as he slipped the parchment into his robe. "Right, well. I know how rumours start in this school, and how quickly they can spread. Because of this, Professor Dumbledore has asked the heads of houses to inform their pupils of the news he received during dinner." York took a deep breath. "The news will be in the Daily Prophet in a few days anyway. I am afraid there has been an attack on a village in Devon, a Muggle village with a few Wizarding inhabitants." He glanced towards the older students. "The attack was perpetrated by wizards, of that we are sure."

"Sir!" James stood up, staring at York. "Sir, sorry, but are they are the same wizards who attacked Lisa Smith's parents?"

"Sit down, Potter," York mumbled. "We do not know. All we know is that all students who did not stay here for the holidays are having their movements tracked, as are any wizards who were in the area at that time. If you do have any information, somehow, please report it to myself, Professor Caedmon or Professor Dumbledore. Thank you."

With that, he slipped back out of the portrait hole. As soon as he was gone, the room burst into chatter as wild theories were thrown around the Common Room.


	17. Chapter Sixteen

James pulled the parchment away from Remus, studying it with his eyes narrowed and a slight frown on his lips.

"This is really detailed, Remus," he mumbled, eyes darting up to look at the other boy. Remus shrugged.

"I've been adding to it when I've had a minute or two."

Sirius leant over James' shoulder, a finger trailing along the lines across the page. "Impressive. Well, it'll help us find our way around, at least."

James nodded, before sitting down.

He and Sirius had been down on the Quidditch pitch, watching the Gryffindor team practice. Snow fell from their hair, dropping down onto the parchment. Hastily, Remus waved his wand over it and muttered a spell, causing the snow to disappear before it could melt.

"Watch this; it was a spell I found the other day..."

He pointed his wand at the parchment, gestured with it, stabbed at the roll and then sat back, watching the shock of the faces of his friends.

"Whoa!" James gasped. "Remus, that's amazing!"

They stared at the page, as four red dots appeared, each marked with their names, all gathered in the area marked _Gryffindor Common Room. _Sirius glanced up at Remus.

"Remus, what would happen if I left the room?"

"It would disappear," he sighed. "There is a way to make it so that they stay on the page, and there's a spell to extend it so every person in the castle appears on the map. The only thing is, it's really complicated magic, it's too difficult for me to do at the moment."

Sirius nodded. "But do you think, maybe, one day you could do it?"

"Possibly," Remus shrugged. "I think we should work on the map itself first, though."

James nodded. "I agree with Remus. We should try to get everything on here; anything we find..."

"It'll be useful," Peter squeaked. "We could do so much with it!"

"An extensive map of Hogwarts," Sirius mused. "We'd need to find a way to make it only accessible to us, though."

"I've thought of that," Remus muttered. "But I need to work on it. There are protection spells you can do, passwords and the like. Again, it's difficult stuff. But eventually..."

"Eventually we'll have it done and finished," James cheered, shaking his head. "Remus, I swear to Merlin, you are a genius."

* * *

A few days after Christmas, post seemed to return to normal. The owls swooped into the Great Hall at breakfast, and it seemed as though there were more letters than usual. James' owl flew towards him, dropping a couple of letters into his lap before nabbing a sausage from his plate and flying off. Seconds later, another owl dropped a copy of the Daily Prophet in front of him. James pushed a coin into his pouch, gave it a piece of bacon and watched as it disappeared, before opening up the paper.

"Anything interesting?" Sirius asked between mouthfuls of toast.

James frowned, eyes scanning the page before him. "Just some information on the attack, not much. Eyewitnesses reported seeing a group of men in black robes and silver masks, and three houses had a skull above them, in the air, with a snake coming from its mouth."

Sirius glanced over at the Slytherin table, the only table in the hall that didn't seem slightly subdued. "I bet it's Slytherins. Nasty lot."

"Sounds like," James muttered. "With the snake and stuff. Anyway, it names the village, there's a list of deaths here too. Merlin," he gasped, eyes roaming down it. "There's a lot."

"Let's see." Sirius reached forward, and James passed the paper to him. He frowned as his eyes scanned down the list, while James opened the letters his owls had brought. "I know this family – my parents called them blood traitors."

Remus looked up from his breakfast, staring at the face on the front of the paper. "What family?" he asked.

"Griffiths," Sirius replied, and Remus nodded.

"They're on the front."

Sirius flicked to the front page and let out a sigh, staring at the moving photograph of the family.

"Why were they blood traitors?" Peter leant forward, staring at the photo. Briefly, James glanced up before turning back to his letter.

"He married a muggle born he'd met in school. He was in school the same time as my parents," Sirius sighed. "It's a shame, too. Despite what my parents said, they also said it was a shame because he was a good wizard – _if he hadn't married a muggle, his children would have been very skilled_." Sirius' voice became high pitched, in imitation of his mother. He scowled. "Stupid, if you ask me."

James nodded. "I don't get why people are like that – half of the wizarding families have muggle blood in them somewhere." He returned to his letter. "Mum and dad are worried, but they said I should be safe, long as I'm at Hogwarts."

"They're right," Remus sighed. "No one could get in here. It's impossible – do you realise how difficult it is to actually gain access to the castle, unless you're a teacher or student?"

"No," the three replied.

Remus rolled his eyes. "Well, it's in _Hogwarts: A History_. There's protection spells and charms all over the place, they alert the Headmaster if anyone enters the ground without permission, and..."

"But Moody got in," Sirius reminded him. Remus nodded.

"He may have had permission from Dumbledore, but you're right, he did seem surprised to see him. You can't apparate in or out of the grounds, either."

"What about when we learn apparition?" Sirius asked, shaking his head. "They do it in the Great Hall, don't they?"

"They lift the charms," Remus continued. "But, the point it, no one could attack Hogwarts. Your parents are right, James. We're safe here."

"It is odd though," James sighed. "Lisa Smith's parents, the werewolf attacks, this..."

"It doesn't _seem _linked, at first," Sirius carried on. "But they must be..."

They fell silent, munching on their food as the chatter of the Great Hall grew around them. Their eyes kept darting to the Daily Prophet, as if it would suddenly open and announce more deaths, more destruction.

* * *

The first day of lessons came quickly, and with it came piles of homework. After classes had finished, Remus set himself up in the library, books and parchment spread around him. He was soon joined by Lily Evans, who offered him little more than a quick smile before she settled down to do her own work.

"Remus," she whispered, glancing up. "Are you doing the History work?"

"Yeah," he replied, "why? What's wrong?"

"I'm stuck on question six, the one about the 1687 trial..."

He nodded, glancing down at his own work before explaining the answer to her. He had barely got halfway through before Madam Pince appeared from behind one shelf and hissed "sshh" at him. As soon as she was gone, Remus and Lily exchanged a quick look before trying to stifle their giggles.

Eventually, after a few minutes of silence, Lily stood up and disappeared around the corner, leaving Remus to work on his own. She came back after a few minutes, placing a book in front of her and flipping it open. Remus frowned.

"What's that for?"

"Defence," she muttered. "It's a book about dark magical creatures – I asked Professor Caedmon if there was anything I could do to improve my chances in the exams, or to prepare for this term. He suggested I read this."

Remus nodded, glancing down at the page she had open. He gulped. It showed a clear picture of a man halfway through a werewolf transformation, the moon pictured high above him. Lily flicked over until she found the page she needed, and Remus relaxed.

"What are we studying this term?" he asked.

"He said we were going to briefly look at vampires," she explained. "And maybe the differences between magical creatures and _dark _creatures, as well as humanoid ones and the rest." She shrugged. "It sounds like we're just doing overviews, for now."

"Sounds interesting," he mused. "You spoken to any other teachers about this term?"

She nodded. "McGonagall and Flitwick, as well as Slughorn. I...I've kind of realised that, not coming from a wizarding background, I've got a bit of a disadvantage..."

"Lily," Remus chuckled, "you're smarter than most of the wizarding kids here."

She blushed, her cheeks flushing a deep red. "Yes but...but there's a lot I need to learn, you know? Stuff that may come natural to Alice, or Potter, Blake, Severus..." She sighed. "I just don't want to fall behind just because I'm muggle born."

He grinned at her. "You won't."

She shrugged. "But I might, and I want to prove myself, Remus! I want to show those idiots like Samuel Wheel that being muggle born doesn't mean I'm stupid, or worse off than them." As she spoke, her voice rose slightly in pitch, and Remus couldn't help but notice the tears in her eyes. "And with all those attacks over Christmas I...I...I..." Her voice faltered and she turned away, closing her eyes. "To be honest, Alice has been a great help, you know? And Severus was too, until..."

"Lily," Remus whispered, leaning forward. "Has someone been bothering you, about this?"

"No!" she cried, shaking her head. "No, of course not!"

Madam Pince appeared again, standing not far behind Lily. "If you two do not keep it down," she hissed, "You will have to leave!"

"Sorry," Remus mumbled, watching as the Librarian huffed and turned, disappearing once more. He turned back to Lily. "Lily, if they are..."

"No," she repeated. "Please, Remus, just leave it."

He frowned, but nodded, returning to his work and wondering what it was, exactly, that Samuel Wheel had done to the redhead.

* * *

It was only a few days before Remus found out the extent of Lily's troubles.

It was a cold, early January day and the boys were heading down to the greenhouses for Herbology. Sirius and James darted ahead, charming snowballs to fly towards the Slytherins and hover above their heads, moving them to drop so they didn't land on the students themselves. The Forbidden Forest loomed ahead of them, the green leaves of the trees covered in white snow, droplets dripping off every couple of seconds.

Severus Snape walked on his own, while Samuel Wheel walked with his usual group of hangers-on; Madeline Carter walked inches from him, her usual sneer fixed on her face. On his other side walked Orpheus Lyre, a boy who often bragged of his magical Greek heritage and claimed it stretched back to Ancient Greece, a claim which was often followed by James or Sirius muttering 'bollocks' under their breaths.

The groups moved towards the greenhouses, with the Gryffindor boy slowly gaining on the Slytherins. Eventually, they came just close enough for Remus to hear what they were saying; he knew it was a sense emphasised by the wolf inside, one he could sometimes repress if he tried hard enough. But when he caught the first bit, he found himself concentrating, listening to what they had to say.

"Stupid Mudblood; she thinks she's so clever, but I showed her," Wheel hissed, with Madeline Carter laughing straight after.

"What did you do, Sam?" she asked.

Samuel's laughter echoed around them, loud enough for the others to hear. What he said next, however, wasn't. "I showed her what a real wizard could do," he chuckled. "The type of magic they won't show us until third year – it was a spell my father taught me."

Madeline cackled, and Orpheus muttered something under his breath.

"What did you say, Lyre?"

"What spell was it?"

From where they were positioned, Remus could see a grin spread across Samuel's face. "I'll show you later," he whispered, and they moved further off, out of ear shot, even for Remus.

He glanced over his shoulder to see Lily and Alice leaving the castle, moving quickly to catch up with the others. Eventually, the students reached the greenhouses and gathered outside, waiting for the professor. After a few minutes, Lily and Alice reached them, panting breathlessly.

Remus locked eyes with Lily, and she quickly glanced away.

Since the library, he couldn't help but notice how Lily seemed to avoid him. He turned away as James muttered something under his breath.

"Students!"

They all turned at the sound of the voice and faced Professor Harris, the aging man who taught Herbology. Grey wisps of hair fell around his face, currently smudged with light brown mud. Snow dripped from his hair as he grinned at them.

"We will not be in the greenhouses today," he announced. "This is perfect weather to dig for asphodel and dittany, and as far as I am aware, Professor Slughorn's supplies are running low! Follow me!" he commanded, before turning and walking away from the greenhouses and towards the forest. The first years glanced at each other before following behind. "Now, can anyone tell me what asphodel is used in?" he asked, striding ahead of them and booming out the question.

At first, no one answered, but eventually Lily piped up. "It's used in the Draught of Living Death, sir."

"Correct, Miss Evans. No doubt it was one of the things you have been taught in Potions? I am surprised not more of you piped up!" he chuckled, still with his back to them. "Five points to Gryffindor, in any case. Now, what about dittany?"

A few students answered this time, and their words bounced around the small group as they named various potions the plant was used in. Professor Harris turned to them with a large grin on his face.

"Glad to see you're not all mute. Now, as for digging these plants up..."


	18. Chapter Seventeen

Remus let the others go on ahead to lunch as they walked back from the greenhouses. The Slytherins had shot off as soon as Harris had dismissed them, and the other Gryffindor girls and boys had already gone inside. The four boys had been just ahead of Lily and Alice, and Remus had made up some excuse to hang back. Now, he waited just in front of the doors as the two girls climbed the stairs.

"Lily!" Remus called, darting forward. "Lily, can I speak to you?"

She frowned, before Alice glanced at her. "I'll meet you inside," Alice muttered, before stepping through the doors. Lily sighed, before turning to him.

"What is it, Remus?"

"What did Samuel do to you?"

"Are you still going on about this? I told you, Remus, he didn't do anything."

"I know that's not true!" he shot back. "Lily, I heard him talking! He said something about a spell..."

She rolled her eyes. "It was nothing, Remus."

"You can't let them bully you."

"They're not."

"Then why won't you tell me what he did?"

"Drop it, Remus," she hissed, frowning at him. "Please, for my sake just...just drop it." With that, she turned and stormed inside, leaving Remus standing on the top of the steps, unable to drop it as she had asked.

* * *

James crouched over a piece of parchment in the library, frowning down at the questions he'd jotted down from their last Defence Against the Dark Arts class. He sighed, before his eyes leapt to the book he had open on his other side. Suddenly, Alice Prewitt appeared in front of him, flashing him a big grin.

"Defence again, eh, Potter?"

He glanced up and shrugged. "Yeah, well, I told you last time. I need to do well in this."

"You look like you're struggling," she muttered, reaching across and pulling the parchment towards her. "You've got the right book, but wrong chapter. Go to chapter six; it's in there."

"Thanks," he sighed, before flicking through the book.

"James, I've got something to ask."

"What is it?"

"Well...it's something I've noticed, and I think Remus may have, too. About Lily."

"Evans?" he chuckled. "What, is it that you've found out she's a royal pain in the arse and now neither of you two want to be friends with her?"

"No," she growled. "Merlin, Potter, _you're _such an arse sometimes, not Lily. Anyway, I think the Slytherins have been targeting her."

"Targeting her?" James frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I think they're bullying her, James."

He leant back, tapping his quill on the edge of the desk as her words sank in. _Bullying _was not something James had really come across before, although he had heard it thrown about, he'd never seen it being used. Now, he was stumped. "What do you want me to do about it?" It wasn't accusing, or an attempt to brush Alice off; it was a genuine question, one he wanted a genuine answer to.

"It's just...well, she sometimes goes for walks, by herself. She used to, anyway. Not so much now but...but can you just keep an eye on her? Sirius, Peter and Remus, too? Can you ask them? I'm worried, James. With all these attacks and stuff, Lily hasn't been...herself. Not really."

"Sure," he nodded. "And, trust me, Alice, we catch them doing anything to her, we'll stop them. Promise."

She grinned at him. "Thanks, Potter. You know what; sometimes you're not too bad."

* * *

The common room was empty that weekend. Most of the older students had gone to Hogsmeade for the day, leaving only first and second years, and the odd punished student or those without permission slips, in the castle. William and Michael had headed to the library, and the girls sat near the fireplace while the boys played Exploding Snap over the other side.

After a while, Lily stood up and muttered something to the others, before moving towards the portrait hole. James faked a yawn.

"I'm going for a lie-down," he muttered. "I'm exhausted!"

Sirius frowned at him. "You never go for naps."

James shrugged. "Whatever. I'll speak to you later."

Lily left the common room, while James climbed the stairs to the dorm. Once he was inside, he dug in his trunk and pulled out the invisibility cloak, pulling it over himself before shutting the curtains of his bed. Moments later, he was moving through the almost empty room with a grin on his face. There was an odd thrill in doing something the others didn't know about.

He caught up with Lily a few corridors away from Gryffindor tower.

Frowning, James followed her through different hallways until she reached the seventh floor. He frowned; he had been here before, but now there was a door, opposite a painting of someone trying to teach trolls to dance. James watched as Lily glanced up and down the corridor, before entering the room. Quickly, before the door closed, he darted forward and got inside.

James felt his jaw drop. He was standing in the middle of what could have easily been one of the dungeons in which they had potions lessons. The room was warm, hot even, and within a few seconds he felt sweat forming on his forehead. In the middle of the room was a table with a boiling cauldron on top, and to his right was a book shelf full of potions books.

Near the cauldron stood Severus Snape, and Lily slowly approached him as she tied her hair back.

"Still managing to get away with it then?" he chuckled, stirring something in the cauldron. Lily flashed him a bright smile.

"Just about. How's the potion coming?"

"It's fine, just need to add in these ingredients...have you done Slughorn's homework?"

"I've looked over it," she groaned. "But it's quite difficult..."

Snape rolled his eyes, before gesturing to a nearby empty table. The pair sat down and started to look over the work. James frowned, wondering what they were doing. He approached the potion, and realised it was one they had been working on in class; one that needed to be checked quite often, one that Slughorn explained would take a few months to brew. They would check it later in the year and see who had managed to complete it successfully.

He glanced over to the pair, and saw Snape pointing out the answers to the homework Slughorn had given them. James didn't like it; Gryffindor and Slytherin were not meant to mix together. But there was none of the bullying that Alice believed was going on. He glanced to the door, and knew that he wouldn't be able to leave until either of the other two left.

He sat on one of the tables, and waited.

* * *

Eventually, Severus left and Lily wondered around for a bit, checking the potion and grabbing one of the books, slipping it into her bag. James waited for her, determined to follow her back through the corridors to make sure nothing happened. He had, after all, promised Alice.

When she was done, Lily waved her wand around and muttered a spell. The lights turned off, and she walked through the door, James following. They wound back through the corridors, and it was as they went from the sixth to the fifth floor that they bumped into Samuel Wheel. He turned around and grinned, the smile stretching across his face when he spotted Lily.

"Haven't I put you off your weekly walks yet, Evans?"

Lily rolled her eyes and tried to move past him.

Wheel slid in front of her, stopping her.

James felt his blood boil as Lily let out an exasperated sigh.

"Let me through, Wheel."

"I'm fed up of you walking through this castle like you belong here, Mud-blood."

She glared at him, and James gripped his wand tightly, biting down on his lip to resist cursing Samuel.

"I do belong here," she shot back.

"No, you don't," he snapped. "Neither do the other muggles, not to mention the blood traitors like Potter and his ilk."

Lily withdrew her wand and pointed it at him, but before she could cast a spell he had his own wand out and had cried out something James didn't quite catch. A snake shot from the wand and landed just in front of Lily. She shied back, away from it, pure fear and terror on her face. Rage filled James as he saw how scared the red head was; the snake slithered on the floor as Samuel laughed, enjoying the fear.

"Scared of snakes, Evans?"

Under his cloak, James aimed his wand. "Petrificus Totalus," he whispered, grinning as the spell hit and Samuel's body stiffened, causing him to fall backwards. Lily glanced towards where she'd heard the sound, looking confused until relief broke out over her face.

"Thanks," she whispered to the air, before stepping over the Slytherin and darting away.

James grinned to himself as he gazed down at his handy-work. Samuel Wheel's eyes darted around, looking for who had cursed him. As he passed by, James couldn't resist kicking him.

James couldn't control his anger when he got back.

He passed through the Common Room, glancing only once to where Lily decided to sit, and went straight up to the dorm. Once inside, he threw off the cloak and chucked it onto his bed, before letting out a strangled cry.

He couldn't believe it; he knew Slytherins were bad, but the way Wheel had talked to Lily, the way he had spoken to her...

So why, he wondered, did she still hang around with the slimy git, Snape?

He frowned as he stared at a random spot on the wall, wondering if it was Snape who had told Wheel where Lily would be and when.

James sat on the end of his bed, his head in his hands as he tried to figure it out.

Maybe, he thought, he should go to Professor York. He was sure their head of house would know what to do. He'd be able to deal with it. Or even Professor Slughorn; straight to the source.

Then again, he knew there must have been a reason Lily wasn't telling them herself. What if he went to the teachers and she just ended up angry at him? Despite their differences, he didn't want to bring her wrath down on him if he was only trying to help.

"Alice!" he gasped, the thought coming to him suddenly. He could tell Alice, he could tell her what was going on.

He threw open the door to the dorm and bounded down the stairs, tumbling into the Common Room just in time to hear Lily saying to Alice, "...first time it's happened, but I'm sure it was Severus who did the spell..."

James stopped, knowing that Lily was lying about it being the first time. Her words rang around in his head; _it was Severus._ Alice glanced up at him, frowning at him as he stood there, staring at her and Lily. He forced himself to smile, quickly, before he rejoined the other four. Sirius raised an eyebrow.

"Thought you were going to bed, mate."

"Couldn't sleep," James muttered in reply. "Who fancies a game of chess?"


	19. Chapter Eighteen

"I can't believe you're missing this match!" James wailed, staring wide eyed at Remus. "Really, Remus, can't you wait just a few more days to go home?"

"No!" he cried, violently shaking his head. "No," he sighed, in a quieter voice. "Sorry, James, but I can't. She's really ill..."

"You said that last time," Sirius mumbled, eyes darting up to stare at Remus.

"Mum said she keeps asking for me," he lied. "Anyway, you know I don't like Quidditch that much. Honestly, James, I don't know why you're making such a fuss."

"Well, then we'll have to give you a full, blow-by-blow commentary when you get back!" he decided, giving a solid nod at the end, just to emphasis his point. "Won't we, Sirius?"

"Sure," Sirius shrugged. "Remus, before you go pack...can you _please _help me with this Transfiguration homework?"

Remus rolled his eyes as he stood up from the chair. "I'll go get mine, you can look over it while I'm away."

"Thanks, Remus!" Sirius grinned up at him.

"But this is the last time you get tocopy it; you'll never learn anything unless you do the homework yourself."

"But it's so hard," he whined, in the perfect spoilt rich-wizard voice. "And you're so clever, Remus! It'd be a shame to waste such genius."

Remus sighed as he left the Common Room. After half an hour he returned, trunk in hand. He handed the parchment to Sirius, and climbed through the portrait hole. He didn't notice Lily's eyes on him, a small frown on her face as she watched him go.

* * *

February passed in a blur of snow, Quidditch and classes. In March, the next piece of news broke.

The Great Hall was filled with owls, swooping down and dropping letters in front of students. Dumbledore watched as more than six owls flew towards him, depositing their own letters. He disappeared from the Great Hall, all the Heads of Houses following closely behind. Lily opened her own owl and let out a sigh of relief.

"What's going on?" James asked, glancing around the hall.

"The owls, they're mainly the ones belonging to muggleborns..." Sirius muttered, frowning. "Hang on, Remus, you have one too."

Remus reached forward and opened it, folding out the piece of parchment.

His eyes scanned the paper, frowning as he did so. "Mum says that Dumbledore contacted all Muggle parents and those not living close to the Wizarding Community last night. Something about checking the safety of parents and making sure they were aware that we're safe. She says not to worry though, and she's sure he has everything covered."

"Mine says that, too," Lily muttered, glancing up. "More or less."

"Something's happened." James' hands clenched around his glass, shaking. "Something else has happened."

"There's been a fire," Lily explained, passing over a newspaper clipping. The image was still, but showed a fire raging on a hill near a small village. "And an explosion, at a mine in South Wales."

"But why would Dumbledore contact the parents?" Peter shook his head. "It doesn't make sense..."

"Because they're attacks," James mumbled. "Attacks against Muggles, no doubt. Look, the article says they don't know how the fire started..."

"They wouldn't know, would they?" Alice chipped in. "Not if it's magic."

"Well, it looks like everyone who is muggleborns has letters." Sirius' eyes roamed over the hall. "That must mean none of them have been hurt, right?"

"The Slytherins don't have any letters," James shot in. "Look!"

"Severus does," Lily sighed. "Looks like he's the only one..."

"Maybe his family aren't close to the wizarding world, like Remus'?" Peter suggested.

"That would make sense; I can't remember my mum mentioning the Snape family before."

Lily' s eyes were fixed on the Slytherin table, a small frown tugging the corners of her lips down. Finally, she sighed, before returning to her breakfast. After they'd finished eating, the first year Gryffindor students bunched together and made their way down to the dungeons for Potions.

Usually, Professor Slughorn was in the class before they got there. Now, however, they found the door locked.

"That's odd," James muttered, "he's never usually late..."

"Might still be talking with Dumbledore," Sirius suggested, leaning against the wall. Lily and Alice stood not far away, deep in conversation. The Slytherin first years appeared at the other end of the corridor and stood there, clearly not wanting to interact with the Gryffindors outside of the class.

Eventually, Professor Slughorn appeared, bounding down the corridor with a forced, fixed smile on his face.

"Ah, lovely, lovely, everyone here? Everyone all right?" he boomed, eyes roaming over the groups before they landed on Lily. "Miss Evans, everything fine at home?"

"Yes, sir," she meekly replied, and he gave a curt nod before unlocking the door and stepping inside.

"Now, set up your cauldrons, yes, yes, that's it..." He smiled around at the class before waving his wand over the board. A list of instructions appeared, and Professor Slughorn turned back to them. "Simple enough; this might just be on the exam so pay particular attention to steps three and seven. Go!"

There was a scramble as people made their way to the stock cupboards, gathering what they needed. Slughorn sat behind his desk, eyeing the students carefully. After a while, he stood up and started to wonder around, stopping near certain students.

"Samuel! How is your father? Excellent, excellent. Madeline, your mother doing well? Ah yes, I remember hearing about that. But she's better now? Good, good. Severus! My boy, excellent work as always..." Eventually, he found his way to the Gryffindor side. He leant over Lily's cauldron. "You're doing exceptionally well, my dear. I wouldn't put any bets on the top Potion maker of your year, yet, dear..." he winked, before carrying on. "Alice, no, no, not like that...I seem to remember, your father never was great at Potions, was he?"

"No, sir," she meekly replied, gazing down into her cauldron.

"Never worry, dear. There's plenty of time yet. Ah, Sirius! Your brother is due to join us in a few short years, isn't he?"

"A year September, sir."

"Good, good. Hopefully he'll end up in my house, ey?" he chuckled, before turning to James. "Ah, James, now let's see what mess you've made of this potion..." He leant over the cauldron, but before he could comment on James' poor potion making skills, there was a knock at the door and a fifth year Ravenclaw prefect stepped in.

Professor Slughorn looked up.

"Yes, m'boy?"

"Professor Dumbledore has asked to see Samuel Wheel, sir," the Ravenclaw explained. Immediately, the room broke out into whispers. Slughorn's face paled as he looked towards his Slytherin student. His eyes snapped back to the Ravenclaw.

"I will take him," he told him, and the boy bowed his head before ducking out of the classroom. Slughorn moved to the front of the class. "Class is dismissed."

"But, sir, what about the potions?"

Professor Slughorn whispered a spell and waved his wand. The potions, inside the cauldrons, all disappeared. Madeline and Orpheus were standing close to Samuel, whispering to him. He stood silently, staring hard at Slughorn.

"Class dismissed," he repeated, and the students began to file out.

The other Slytherin students darted straight out, heading for the common room. James motioned for the others to hang back, and with Sirius, Remus and Peter, they hid around the corner, watching. Orpheus and Madeline left the room, heads bent together and heading the same way as the other Slytherins. Professor Slughorn and Samuel Wheel left the room, Slughorn locking the door. James glanced around nervously, before pulling back a tapestry of a tall man bent low over a cauldron, steam filtering around him as he stirred.

"Good guess," Sirius muttered, as they found themselves staring down a tunnel. The four boys leapt in, leaving the tapestry to fall back into place. They crouched against the wall, listening as the two pairs of footsteps grew closer.

"...my father, sir?" Samuel finished his sentence, just as the pair came within ear shot.

"Samuel, you know as well as I do that those...those friends of his, they are not good news. If this explosion has anything to do with them..."

"Sir, may I remind you that you are throwing an accusation against a very powerful family?"

"It is you I am worried about, boy! I do not seek to accuse your father of anything, but if it comes down to it..." The voices drifted away, and after a few minutes the boys climbed out, staring in shock at each other.

"I knew Wheel was bad news," Sirius muttered. "But this bad?"

"I know," James sighed, running a hand through his messy mop of black hair. "I know, Sirius. Come on, let's get back to the Common Room. We only have an hour until our next class..."

* * *

Why Samuel had been called to see Professor Dumbledore was meant to be a secret. Of course, that meant that by the evening meal, everyone in the Great Hall knew.

It wasn't just Samuel, either. A few Slytherins were missing from that meal, mainly older students. It soon filtered through the Hogwarts grapevine that the parents of those Slytherins had been taken in for questioning by the Ministry, in connection with the explosions and fire.

Lily seemed especially shaken.

"They won't let them go, surely?" Peter piped up, glancing towards James and Sirius.

Arthur and Molly appeared, Arthur shaking as he sat down near the first years.

"Did you hear him?" he hissed to Molly. She sighed, rubbing his back.

"I know, Arthur, but don't let it get to you..."

"What happened?" Sirius asked, leaning towards them as he reached for the basket of bread rolls. Arthur glanced up, frowning as he stared at them.

"Actually, maybe you should know," he sighed, eventually. "I caught Lucius Malfoy threatening some forth year students – those him and his family consider blood traitors."

James sighed. "So people like me, then?"

Arthur nodded.

"Did you report him?" Lily turned towards them, frowning.

"To who?" Arthur let out a dry chuckle. "Slughorn won't punish him. He's too wrapped up in the fact that the Malfoys are a powerful family. He won't touch him, much as he wouldn't dare touch Sirius."

Lily turned to Sirius. "Sirius? Why?"

"Slughorn likes the powerful families," Arthur carried on. "And students who show a great deal of promise. Wait until next year, or third year. He'll soon be inviting Sirius to his little meetings of the Slug Club."

"That explains why he's always asking about people's families," Remus sighed. "Anyway, you said Lucius was threatening them?"

"Yes, well, he said once they've finished with the Muggles they'll move onto blood traitors. Which makes me think Malfoy knows a lot more than us about what's going on."

"Well, he would," Sirius scoffed. "His family are steeped in the Dark Arts. He's betrothed to my cousin, Narcissa."

Molly frowned. "Her and her sister are..." she stopped, glanced at Sirius and looked away again.

"A pair of nasty bitches?" Sirius offered with a grin. "The only one of those three I actually like is Andromeda. She's in third year now."

Molly nodded. "Ravenclaw, right?"

"Yep!"

Arthur glanced towards the Ravenclaw table. "She's always hanging out with Theo Tonks, bet your family hate that."

"Theo Tonks?" Sirius frowned. "Never heard of him."

"You wouldn't," Arthur laughed. "He's a muggle-born."

Sirius let out a laugh. "Good on Andromeda, then."

"You don't reckon the Slytherins will turn on us, do you?" Lily asked, eyes wide as she stared at Arthur.

"Of course not." Molly shook her head. "Not with the teachers here! They wouldn't dare. Anyway, it's their parents who are doing it, not them."

"Oh, please," Arthur sighed. "As if most of them aren't going to leave here thinking muggleborns are inferior, and those who like them even worse."

"It's true," Sirius muttered darkly. "Me and Andromeda, well, neither of us get along with the rest of the family. But our parents tried to drill it into our heads that Muggles and blood traitors should be treated worse than House Elves. Hell, Slytherin himself hated them."

"Really?" Lily gasped.

James nodded. "It's meant to be why he left the school – because Helga Hufflepuff and Godric Gryffindor were all too accepting of the muggle children who could perform magic."

"What about Ravenclaw?" Peter questioned, frowning at them.

James shrugged. "No one really knows about her, to be honest. Ravenclaws, as a general rule of thumb, aren't prejudiced."

"Not like Slytherin," Sirius muttered, darkly.

"But some reckon Ravenclaw was, well, a bit stricter than Gryffindor or Hufflepuff on who was let in. Not in the same way as Slytherin. Apparently, some records of the time state that Ravenclaw wanted every pupil to pass a test, to be let in. She wanted only the smartest students to be allowed into the school."

"How do you know all this?" Lily scoffed. "You never pay attention in History."

James grinned. "Nope, but dad looked into it, before he retired. He was kind of an academic, I guess. Went to the Wizarding University in Germany, before they closed it down."

"Hang on, they are Wizarding Universities?"

Arthur nodded. "Yes, but they're notoriously difficult to get into. Most jobs in the Wizarding world don't require you to go to them; in the Ministry of Magic, you get trained when you start. But some Wizards, well, like James' father, I suppose, like to pursue academia after they leave Hogwarts."

"They're very expensive, too," Molly cut in. "My mother's great great great grandfather went to one. His father had to donate a lot of money, just to get him in."

Lily frowned, before her eyes dropped down. "How _exclusive _are they?" she whispered, her voice slightly fearful. Molly and Arthur glanced at each other, as if unsure on how to answer the question.

James, however, ploughed on, seeming to take no notice of the tone of Lily's voice as he smeared some butter on a piece of toast. "Some offer scholarships; that's how my dad got in. You know, if you don't have enough money. I know he got the scholarship, but still donated money to the school afterwards. And, of course, it all depends on the one you want to go to. There's one somewhere in Russia that won't accept muggleborns. Some of the Greek ones do, and there's that one in America that pretty much accepts anyone if they have either the money or the smarts."

Lily's face brightened up, as Arthur leant towards James. "You know a lot about them, Potter."

"I've looked into it," he muttered with a shrug, before his teeth chomped down on the toast. "Thought it was a good option until I really looked. Don't want to bother now."

"I might," Lily muttered, glancing up. "It sounds like a good choice."

Arthur nodded. "In all fairness, those who go to them are revered in whatever job they do go into. Most of them are specialists so, for example, the best Potion maker in the world would have gone one of the Universities..."

"Most likely one in Greece," James interrupted. "There's one there that is meant to be best for Potions. There's one in Australia that's mostly for animal based degrees, same with one in America though they have more options than that. The German one my dad went to was mostly History, and the French one produces the best people at Transfiguration."

Before they could continue the conversation, an owl flew into the hall and went straight to the teacher's table. It landed in front of Dumbledore, who quickly took the letter from the owl's leg and read it. Slughorn was staring hard at the Headmaster, and after a minute Dumbledore passed the letter across to him. Slughorn let out a sigh and smiled at Dumbledore.

Professor York leant towards Professor Caedmon, and whispered something into his ear. The four boys watched as the pair stood up and left the Great Hall, leaving a very happy Slughorn and a worried looking Dumbledore behind.


	20. Chapter Nineteen

"We need to find out what's going on," James muttered later that night, when the four boys were gathered in the Common Room, Sirius and Remus playing a game of Chess. Sirius let out a cheer as his knight took one of Remus' bishops.

"How?" Sirius sighed. "We can't exactly get into the Slytherin Common Room."

"We could find an older student," Peter suggested. "A prefect who can get us in – tell them that Sirius really needs to see his cousins?"

Sirius scoffed. "I have nothing I need nor want to say to them."

"We could follow someone," James mused, leaning back and watching as Remus sent a knight forward. "Sneak in behind them."

"The cloak barely covers all four of us," Remus muttered. "It'll be difficult to move around and...and, anyway, what if we get there and no one is talking about it?"

"What do you suggest?" James replied. "Polyjuice potion?" The boys broke out laughing at the very idea, and Remus rolled his eyes.

"Should I even bother going through the cons of that idea?" 

"No need," Sirius chuckled. "It's too advanced for us anyway, plus it takes an age to make and..."

"I was only joking," James interrupted. "Anyway, what if just me and Sirius go? At least then, if we are caught, we can just say we were playing a prank?"

Remus considered his words, before shrugging. "Well, no teacher could argue with that." He let out a sigh. "Fine, go if you want to, but I'm having no part in this."

"Aw but what if we find out something really, really interesting, Remus? And then we can't tell you because you want nothing to do with it! Wouldn't that suck for you?"

Remus rolled his eyes, leant forward and commanded his bishop forward. "Checkmate, Sirius."

Sirius' eyes darted down to the board and he let out an awed chuckle. "Well, nice move, Remus. Come on, James, let's get going."

* * *

James and Sirius darted into the library behind a third year Ravenclaw. Once inside, James scanned the room quickly, looking for the tell tale green and silver tie of a Slytherin. From the entrance, they couldn't see any, so James pulled Sirius along the rows, glancing at all the tables they passed.

Eventually, they spotted Lucius Malfoy in the Care of Magical Creatures section. The blond reached up the shelf and pulled down a book, grinning as he glanced at the cover. James and Sirius scooted closer, eager to get a look at the book. A frown yanked the corners of James' mouth down when he saw the title.

_Dark Creatures & How to Handle Them._

The Slytherin turned, and would have walked right into them if Sirius hadn't pulled James out of the way in time. The two first years followed him back through the library to the desk, where he checked the book out, and kept on his trail as he left the room and made his way down towards the dungeons.

They followed closely behind, glancing at each other as they got further and further underneath the school. Sirius shivered beside his friend, as Lucius turned another corner and stepped towards a blank wall. Sirius glanced at James, who shrugged. Lucius grinned at the wall, before whispering the password.

"Purity."

James cringed, as the wall slid back and Lucius entered. The two boys darted forward, leaping into the passage just as the wall started to creek behind them. Once it was closed, they were plunged into darkness, before a couple of lamps either side lit up. Lucius strode down the small passageway, the boys following, until they entered a low-ceilinged room with a greenish tinge to it. As soon as they entered, Narcissa Black stood up from an armchair near a roaring fire and stepped towards Lucius. Bellatrix appeared behind the boys, and joined the other two.

"Any news?" Narcissa asked. Lucius shook his head.

"No. I have no idea when they will be back, either, so don't go asking me about Rodulphus, I am sure he and his father are fine."

Bellatrix cringed, her head snapping to stare into the fire. "Damn them," she hissed. "Damn those stupid, Mudblood loving bastards!"

"Calm down, Bella," Narcissa whispered, putting a hand on her sister's shoulder. Beside him, James could feel Sirius trembling as the blonde led her sister to a nearby chair and helped her sit down. "Lucius is right; Rodulphus will be fine. As far as they're aware, the students had nothing to do with it."

Lucius nodded, and the two first years inched closer.

"It is Wheel, I feel sorry for," Lucius muttered, crossing his arms as he took a breath. "He really had no clue."

"Whatever happens," Narcissa hissed, "that poor fool Dumbledore will protect our arses. You heard Slughorn; Dumbledore wants all students back as soon as possible."

"About the only decent thing he will do, for us," Bellatrix snapped. She leant back in her sofa, eyes darting up to Lucius. "Tell us what's really going on, Lucius."

"No."

"Oh, come on! I am to be your sister-in-law, once we finish at this stupid school."

"And I am to be his wife, but he still tells me nothing," Narcissa snapped, glaring at her sister. "Leave it, Bella. They will do what they think right, by us."

"At least tell us about the man you call your leader?" Bellatrix begged.

"I can't," Lucius hissed. "I am sorry, Bellatrix, but it is not my place. It is too early, and you are too young."

"No!" she laughed. "It's because I am a girl, is it not?"

"You are only fourteen!" Lucius snapped. "You are too young! There is a reason no one below fifth year has been told more than you or Narcissa."

"I have to agree with him," Narcissa sighed. "We are too young, Bella. We must wait."

Bellatrix glared at the two, before she turned and stormed off, disappearing into one of the stone corridors. Lucius groaned, sinking down onto one of the armchairs. Narcissa turned to him.

"She is too...angry," Lucius growled. "We cannot let emotions control us. Not right now."

"She is a force to be reckoned with," Narcissa laughed. "A formidable one, at that. Do not worry about her, she will grow up."

"I hope," Lucius chuckled dryly, and James pulled at Sirius' sleeve, gesturing to the doorway. Sirius nodded, and the two moved quickly towards it, their bodies shaking with the knowledge and shock of what they had heard.

* * *

As soon as they got back to the dorm, James ripped off the cloak and stuffed it into his trunk. He sat on the end of his bed, head in his hands as Sirius paced up and down.

"We need to write it down," James muttered, eventually, and Sirius nodded. He rummaged in his school bag, pulling out a piece of parchment and a quill. Quickly, he jotted down, in note form, what they had heard. After, he showed it to James, who nodded.

"This is worse than we thought," James whispered eventually. "Sirius, they're all in on it. The Slytherins, they all know!"

Sirius shook his head. "No, that's the thing, they don't. Malfoy said that anyone forth year and under doesn't know. They're keeping them out of the loop."

"Well, isn't that more worrying?" James choked out. "It means it's more serious, Sirius!"

Despite the dark tone of their conversation, Sirius still smiled at the repetition. He let out a sigh before flopping onto his bed.

"I don't know, James. Maybe we should just leave it? I don't want to be worrying about what the Slytherins are up to..."

"But with everything going on, Sirius, how soon until it turns into something worse?"

"And what are we supposed to do?" Sirius cried, throwing his arms up into the air. "We're just a couple of first-years, James! There's nothing we can do!"

James frowned as his hands fell onto the bed. He dug his fingers into the mattress, before letting out a sigh. "Fine, fine, maybe you're right, but can we at least, you know, keep an eye on them?"

"Sure," Sirius shrugged, before standing up from the bed and stretching. "C'mon, we should go back to the Common Room before we go to bed."

* * *

Things seemed to return to normal by the end of the week, although James and Sirius were constantly on edge when they were around the Slytherin students. Sirius eventually grew fed up of snapping his head around at every giggle from Samuel and his crew in Potions, and on the weekend he asked James to borrow the cloak.

"Sure," James shrugged, handing it over. "Why, though?"

Sirius bit down on his bottom lip, eyes darting to the window. It was a beautiful early spring day, with the sun shining over the grounds of Hogwarts. He ran a hand through his hair, eyes fixed on the groups of third year and above students making their way down to Hogsmeade.

"There's someone I need to talk to," he explained. "I'll tell you when I get back, yeah?"

James nodded. "All right, mate, just be careful."

Sirius flashed a large grin at him. "When am I not?" he chuckled, before throwing the cloak over himself and darting out of the dorm. He slipped past those in the Common Room and was soon making his way down towards the Entrance Hall.

Filch, the caretaker, stood near the door, marking off students as they walked past him. Sirius slipped in behind a group of forth year Hufflepuffs, as they rattled off lists of shops they were going to go to. He followed them out of the castle and down the path towards the village, glancing behind every so often towards the castle, hoping he'd be able to find his way back if he needed to.

Eventually, they were at the edge of Hogsmeade, and the Hufflepuff students darted off to Honeydukes. Sirius glanced around, wondering where his 'target' would be. Eventually, he headed towards The Three Broomsticks. Once inside, he sat in a corner, watching people come in and out.

After a while, the person he was looking for entered the pub. He stared at her and her friends as they headed to the bar and ordered a round of Butterbeer before sitting down at a table on the other side to him. Minutes later, Professor Slughorn entered, Professors McGonagall, Caedmon, York and Flitwick. The teachers walked towards the table Sirius was on, and he scrambled up and away before they sat down. Curiosity, although it had killed the cat, had never killed a dog star, as far as he was aware, and he found himself hanging back near their table as they spoke in hushed voices.

"I am doing what Dumbledore asked," Slughorn sighed. "Keeping an eye on my house and the students in it. As far as I am aware, they had nothing to do with the events over the last few months."

"Don't feel persecuted, Horace," Caedmon growled. "He has asked all of us to be vigilant, when it comes to the pupils. Not just Slytherin. He's asked us all to report anything suspicious to him."

Professor McGonagall scoffed. "There are certain pupils who are always acting suspicious, Gawain."

He chuckled, shaking his head. "I assume you mean Black and Potter?"

"Lupin and Pettigrew, too!" York cut in, grinning. "Although we all know it's Black and Potter who pull them into their pranks."

"They're just going to get more elaborate over the years, aren't they?" McGonagall sighed, and the others laughed.

"They'll make fine Quidditch players, though!" York winked at McGonagall. "You never know Minerva; you might see a good team when you're Head of House."

Sirius felt himself blushing, though he doubted it was anything compared to the bright red flush on his Transfiguration teachers face.

"Oh, please, there are much better people suited to taking over your position, not me."

Caedmon rolled his eyes. "Back to more pressing matters. Horace, _have _you noticed anything unusual in your house?"

"No. Have you?"

Caedmon shook his head. "Only fear and worry. The intake for Ravenclaw the year before last had a high number of Muggleborns; they are all worried for family members. Perfectly understandable, considering the situation."

"Why target them, though?" McGonagall asked. "I mean, after all this time..."

"Which is why most believe it would be a Slytherin," Slughorn scoffed. "After all, we do have that stigma."

The other teachers nodded, as Caedmon sipped at his drink, looking thoughtful. "Albus is worried, but not enough to concern us. We just need to follow what he says."

Sirius edged closer, eager to hear more, but his attention was diverted back to the group over the other side, now moving. Inwardly he groaned, before turning and darting towards them as they got up and started to leave. Soon, he was following them through the winding street of Hogsmeade, until they reached the Shrieking Shack.

"It's haunted," one of them cried. "By the witch who was murdered there."

"No way!" another scoffed. The one he wanted to talk to was a tall girl who stood apart from the others, her fingers wrapped around the fence lining the shack. "I reckon it's some dark creature who has made it their home. What do you think, Droma?"

The girl shrugged, flicking a strand of her straight, long black hair over her shoulder. "I don't know guys. But it looks creepy, doesn't it?"

The others agreed. "Come on," one sighed. "We should go. I want to hit the joke shop before we go back."

"You guys go ahead," Droma spoke slowly. "I'm meeting Ted here in a few."

"All right," they called, moving away with goodbyes and see you laters. Once they were out of sight, Sirius threw off the cloak and darted towards her.

"Andromeda!" he called, as he got closer. She whirled around, eyes wide and jaw slack as she stared at him.

"Sirius! What are you doing here? You should be..."

"At the castle, I know," he muttered, waving his hand in the air. "But...I need to talk to you about something. It's about Narcissa and Bellatrix."

She frowned, crossing her arms as she gazed at him. "What's going on, Sirius?"

"I think they had something to do with the muggle attacks."


	21. Chapter Twenty

Andromeda stared at her cousin as he shifted awkwardly in front of her. Finally, she let out a long, drawn out sigh and shook her head.

"Sirius, I know you hate Narcissa and Bella – Merlin knows I do – but really? Do you honestly think they'd be involved in _muggle attacks_? All this most noble and ancient crap, it's just that Sirius – crap. It means nothing."

"Please," he whispered. "You have to listen! Me and James, we..."

"James Potter?"

He nodded quickly.

"Your little partner in crime, right? What trouble have you two got into now?"

Sirius shook his head. "'Meda, please! Just...listen, yeah? We sneaked into the Slytherin Common Room..."

Andromeda groaned as she sat down, holding her head in her hands. "Merlin, Sirius, you are a handful."

"We got in there and..." He took a deep breath, before relating to her what he had heard. When he'd finished, Andromeda stared at him with wide, sceptical eyes, before she bit down on her lip and stood.

"From the sounds of it, even if Malfoy did have something to do with it, _they _didn't. And what do you expect me to do, Sirius? I can't ask them outright, can I? They'll ask where I heard it and if I mention you..."

Sirius sighed, hanging his head. "You're right but...I just thought you should know. Maybe you could help us? I mean..."

"You got really wound up about it?" She stepped towards him, crouching down as she put a hand on his shoulder. "Sirius, listen, you need to forget about this. You're just a first year – you don't need this on your shoulders."

He nodded, biting his lip. "Aunty will kill you, if she finds out about Theo Tonks."

Andromeda blinked, staring at him as he lifted his head and gave her a shaky smile. "How did you..."

"Arthur Weasley," he chuckled. "He said you spent a lot of time with him."

Andromeda blushed as she glanced over her shoulder. "He's on his way here. You won't tell mum, will you? Or your mum either?"

"'Course not!" Sirius cried, grinning wildly. "We're the black sheep – sheeps?"

"Just sheep, Sirius," she laughed.

"Yeah, black sheep of the family. Or white sheep...whatever, we need to stick together, Andromeda, don't we?"

"Yeah." She kissed the top of his head, squeezing his shoulders. "We do. We'll look out for each other, Sirius, I promise. Get back under that cloak and get back to the castle, you hear?"

"Yep!" He threw the cloak on, said his goodbyes and darted away, leaving Andromeda shaking her head, smiling at the antics of her little cousin.

* * *

All suspects linked with the muggle attacks were released within the week.

The news was all over the Daily Prophet as the end of March drew closer. James, in particular, seemed angry about it, and raved in the Common Room about how it was an absolute disgrace. "This isn't justice," he growled, eyes darting around. "These...these people, they should be locked up!"

"Calm down, James," Remus muttered, glancing up from the book he had been reading. "Look at this, instead."

A wicked grin was stretched across Remus' face as he pushed a piece of parchment to James.

"I finally worked some of it out."

James, with Peter and Sirius either side of him, opened up the parchment. He let out a gasp, staring down at the page. Across it was a detailed map of Hogwarts, showing each corridor and classroom. In a few places, small, black dots moved across, each with a name underneath.

"I haven't managed to get everyone in the castle on there," Remus sighed. "I don't think the spell is strong enough but..."

"Remus!" Sirius gasped. "You are a genius! I can't believe this."

Remus blushed as the three boys gazed at him. "This is...unreal," Peter muttered, as James' eyes darted back to the map. He frowned, seeing the black dots marked _Lily Evans _and _Severus Snape _moving from their respective Common Rooms, coming closer together.

He rubbed the back of his neck, watching carefully as first one, then the other disappeared up a set of stairs onto a floor Remus hadn't added yet. He dropped the map, biting his lip.

"You know what, I think I know a great way to blow off some steam."

"Yeah?" Sirius muttered, glancing towards him. "What is it, Jamie?"

"Don't call me that," James snapped, rolling his eyes. "But...I think we should pray a prank of Snape."

* * *

Remus, despite his reluctance to take part in the pranks themselves, still helped his friends. The following evening, before they went to dinner, Remus gestured for the boys to go up the dorm. They followed him up there and, once the door was shut, Remus picked up the book from his bedside table. He opened it up and withdrew a long sheet of parchment.

"Here," he muttered, pushing it into James' hands. "Some spells you might like."

James scanned the page and began to laugh. "Remus, this is perfect! Which one do you think we should try on Snivellus?"

Remus stared down at the page, before pointing to one in the middle. "That one. It should last for a few days, if you put enough power behind it. And with a few people..."

James nodded, before showing the parchment to Sirius. "What do you think, Sirius?"

Sirius' face lit up as he grinned down at the parchment. "Remus, you are a genius. And I don't think we say that enough. With the map, and this..."

"We can get Snape!" James cried, punching the air. "Oh, this is going to be brilliant. You will come with us, Remus, won't you?"

Remus frowned, glancing at the parchment before letting out a sigh. "Sure, why not. When do you want to do it?"

"After dinner," James announced eagerly. "Can't pull a prank on an empty stomach!"

* * *

Remus was sure that McGonagall knew they were up to something.

As they ate, her eyes remained fixed on them, focused on them. Sirius shovelled food into his mouth like it was his last meal, and James seemed lost in thought between each bite. When the Transfiguration teacher looked away, Remus turned to look at James. He followed his gaze, only to see that he was staring at Lily.

Peter reached forward, swiping a Yorkshire pudding off James' plate.

"Peter!" Remus groaned.

"What? He doesn't mind! Do you, James?"

James' eyes darted to Peter. He glanced at the Yorkshire before shrugging. "Nah, go for it. I'm not that hungry anyway."

"Are you okay, mate?" Sirius asked, staring at James. "You look...worried."

James shrugged, turning back to them. "I'm fine. Just keep an eye out for Snape leaving. We need this to be perfect."

The other three nodded as they carried on eating, James still only picking off his plate. At least, Remus thought, he was actually looking at his food now.

Eventually, Sirius nudged James and nodded towards the Slytherin table. James grinned. "Let's go, guys." Remus stood up first, Peter following. They faked a quick goodbye to the other two boys before following Snape out of the Great Hall. He barely paid them any attention as he turned towards the main doors of the school. Remus and Peter hung back, Remus explaining, patiently, the latest spell they had learnt in Charms to Peter. Snape disappeared out the door, and Remus darted to the nearest broom cupboard.

He wrenched the door open and pulled James' cloak out, throwing over himself and Peter before they followed Snape's footsteps.

They caught up with him not far from the steps. He was walking towards the lake, and once at its edge, Snape sat down.

Remus glanced at Peter, shrugged and then gestured to the floor.

Peter nodded, and the pair slid to the floor, crossing the legs as they checked to make sure the cloak still covered them. Snape lifted himself up until he was kneeling, and in the mud at the water's edge, started to draw something.

"What you doing?"

Remus and Peter both jumped slightly at the voice, Remus' hand snapping out and covering Peter's mouth, realising the smaller boy was about to squeak. They glanced towards Lily, just at their right, as she took a step towards Snape. He hadn't moved, hadn't reacted to her approach.

"It's a rune," he muttered, still focusing on the drawing. "For protection. My mother taught it to me."

Lily tilted her head to one side, watching him carefully. Finally, she moved forward and sat beside him. "How is she?" she whispered, wrapping her arms around her knees and drawing them to her chest.

"She's fine," he almost growled. "Why do you ask?"

"I always liked your mother," Lily replied, with a soft sigh. "She was lovely, Snape. And she did an excellent job of explaining things to Mum and Dad..."

"Yeah," Snape scoffed. "And she paid for it, too. Father _hates _anything magical."

"Paid for it?" Lily whispered. "What do you mean?"

Snape lifted his head, and Remus found his breath catching in his throat. He was seeing something he never thought he'd see; Snape had tears in his eyes. It would have been wrong to say he was crying, but Remus could see he was on the verge of doing so as Lily stared at him.

"Father can be...very strict, sometimes. It would have been better if I had never been born. At least then, Mother would...she could have hidden it. For longer."

"Oh, Sev," Lily sighed, reaching towards him and squeezing his shoulder.

Remus bit down on his lip as he glanced towards Peter. The smaller boy looked deep in thought as he stared at the pair, until eventually he turned to Remus.

"We can't do this," Remus whispered, keeping his voice too low for either Snape or Lily to hear. "This is wrong."

"We should get back," Peter muttered. "Tell James and...and Sirius, not to do it."

Remus have him a curt nod before yanking him to his feet and dragging him back to the school.


	22. Chapter TwentyOne

They joined James and Sirius at the top of the stairs that led from the Entrance Hall. Both were staring at the map, and they looked up as Remus and Peter, still under the cloak, approached.

Remus tore the cloak off and pushed it into James' hands. "We can't do it," he muttered. "It's...wrong."

"Wrong?" Sirius scoffed. "Remus, he's a Slytherin. Nothing we do to him is _wrong_."

Remus glanced towards Peter, looking for the other boy's help. Peter, however, just shifted awkwardly on the spot, avoiding looking at any of the other boys. James ran a hand through his mop of messy hair, shaking his head as he did so.

"C'mon, Remus! It'll be a great laugh."

"I just..."

Before he could finish the sentence, James had lifted a finger to his lips and gestured, with his other hand, down to the doors. Snape and Lily walked into the school, chatting quietly, heads close together. James frowned, as Sirius slid past him and stood at the top of the stairs.

"What you doing, Evans?" Sirius cried, glaring down at her. "Cavorting with a _Slytherin_?"

"Cavorting?" Lily scoffed, shaking her head. "What is wrong with you, Black?"

"Wrong with him?" James cut in, moving to stand beside his friend. "You're the one hanging out with a greasy haired Slytherin, Evans."

Lily glared up at them, crossing her arms as her face flushed red. "It's not up to you and your gang of friends who I hang out with, Potter."

Sirius shook his head, letting out a deep sigh as Remus stepped forward. "Guys, come on, let's just head to the tower..."

"No," James muttered, eyes snapping to glare at Snape. "I think we need to teach Snape a lesson..."

"A lesson, Potter?" Snape drawled, rolling his eyes. "I doubt there is anything _you _could teach_ me_."

James' face went a deep red, as he took out his wand and pointed it at the other boy. "Petrificus Totalus!" he cried, and as Snape's body went rigid, Sirius let out a cheer. Lily slid behind Snape, catching him as he fell. Remus gasped.

"James..."

"Maybe you can learn to block, Snape," James growled, keeping his wand in front of him.

"Err, James," Peter squeaked, lifting up the map. "Caedmon's coming..."

James swore under his breath as he put his wand away. "See you later, _Snivellius,_" he spat, as Sirius and Peter began to move away from the top of the stairs. James followed, but Remus lingered behind. He opened his mouth to say something, but was cut short when Lily shot him a glare worthy of a Basilisk. He slid back, joining the other boys just around the corner as they threw the cloak over themselves. Remus darted inside, remaining quiet as they trudged back up to Gryffindor Tower.

* * *

"You should not perform curses of that kind on other students, Potter. As well as this, magic in the corridors is against school rules, and all of you know that."

The four boys shifted awkwardly in front Professor York, as the flying teacher glared down at them. His eyes landed on Remus.

"I would have expected much better from you, Remus."

"Sorry, Professor," Remus muttered, at a loss for what else he could have said.

It was later the same evening, and the four boys had been summoned by York. They'd arrived at the office and had been instantly met by a harsh glare from their Head of House, followed by a lecture for what they had done to Snape.

"Sir," James piped up, lifting his head. "I would like to say something."

"Go ahead, Potter."

"They had nothing to do with it. It was me who cast the spell. Snape implied that I..."

York lifted his hand, silencing James. The boy snapped his mouth shut, staring down at the ground. "I don't care what Severus Snape implied, Potter. The point is you _do not _cast the full body bind curse on another student! And as for your friends," he sighed, eyes glancing over Remus, Peter and Sirius. "As far as I am aware, you three did nothing to stop him. Am I correct?"

"Yes, sir," the other three mumbled.

"You are four bright, intelligent boys. Unfortunately, as you attacked a student of Slytherin, your punishment will be up to Professor Slughorn. Go back to the Common Room."

"Yes, sir," they replied, darting out of the office as fast as they could. They remained silent on the way back to the tower, and as soon as they stepped inside the Common Room, Remus moved straight past the other students and headed up to the dorm.

James opened his mouth to say something – to call his name, or apologise, or do something to stop Remus being angry at him – but Sirius placed a hand on his shoulder, muttering, "Leave it, mate."

James groaned as he fell into the nearest chair, putting his head in his hands. Sirius sat opposite him, on a two seat sofa, and Peter sat beside him. They didn't say anything for nearly twenty minutes, when Lily walked in.

"You!" James cried, leaping to his feet. He glared across the room at Lily, who stood near the portrait hole, her face flushed red as she stared back at him. "If we lose the cup, it's going to be your fault!"

Lily lifted her chin, glaring back at him. "Actually, Potter, you're the one who cast the curse. It will be _your _fault if we lose points."

A wave of silence washed over the room, people slowly stopping what they were doing to turn and watch the two first years. James took a deep breath. "You _told _on us!"

"Of course I did!" she snapped back. "You cursed another student! What was I supposed to do? Leave him there?"

"He's a Slytherin," Sirius cut in, standing up and crossing his arms. "You could have just said you didn't know who did it."

"Then Sev would have told anyway," she laughed, shaking her head.

"Not if we had anything to do with it," James growled, body shaking with anger.

"Are you serious?" Lily cried, throwing her shoulders back as Alice stood and stepped towards her. "You need to grow up, Potter! Stop acting like a pampered little prince! You have no idea what Severus has been through and..."

She stopped, breathing heavily as Alice put a hand on her shoulder. The girl's eyes were dark as she looked at the other three boys, and suddenly they were aware that everyone was staring either at them or Lily, trying to work out, perhaps, what had got the first years so worked up.

James turned and stormed up to the dorm, Sirius and Peter following. He burst into the room and froze when he saw William Wolfe and Michael Tate, sitting on the latter's bed. Their heads snapped towards the boys.

"If you're looking for Remus," Michael muttered, "he's in the bathroom. Said he was going to take a shower."

"Cheers," Sirius mumbled, gesturing to his bed. James nodded and the three climbed onto it, sitting cross-legged. James cast a silencing charm around the bed, frowning when he realised there were gaps in the charm. He sighed.

"Remus is better at this."

"Evans is really pissed off," Sirius sighed. "Ah well, what you going to do, right?"

"I don't get it!" James hissed. "Why does she insist on hanging around that slimy, greasy haired git?"

Sirius shrugged. Suddenly, the curtains around the bed were yanked back and Remus stood there, eyes leaping from one boy to the other.

"Because they lived near each other at home," he explained, the words falling out quickly. "They've been friends for years, James, and Snape was the first person to accept Lily as a witch, and to explain what it meant to her."

"How do you know that?" Peter asked, staring up at Remus with wide eyes.

Remus rolled his eyes. "Because I actually talk to her, sometimes. And, James, next time you try a charm like that, remember the exact movements. Otherwise it'll just emphasise your voice for the whole room to hear rather than having the correct effect."

He dropped the curtain, leaving the other three to stare at each other, shaking their heads.

* * *

"This sucks," James mumbled, as the four boys made their way down to the dungeons the following morning. Peter yawned loudly, rubbing his watery eyes with one fist. Sirius nodded in agreement, while Remus remained silent, his face blank as they walked.

They'd been woken up early by Arthur Weasley, who informed them to report to Professor Slughorn, in the potions classroom, before breakfast. Remus couldn't help but feel it was James' fault – he had been the one to curse Severus, but they'd all been punished for it. Without warning, he sped up, moving quickly ahead of the other three.

"Hey, Rem, wait up!" Sirius called, but the other boy ignored him.

When they caught up with him, he was already waiting outside the classroom.

"I've knocked," he mumbled, turning away from them.

A few minutes later, James suggested they leave. "He's not coming, guys," he muttered.

"No!" Remus snapped. "I'm not getting in more trouble because of you, James!"

James rolled his eyes. "Is that why you've been so moody all morning?"

"What did you think it was about?" Remus hissed, shaking his head. "Merlin, James! Do you have no idea how your actions affect other people? Haven't you ever heard of consequences?"

James' face went bright red, as his gaze dropped to the floor. Sirius sighed. "Come on, Remus," he muttered. "Calm down, yeah? James feels sorry."

Remus took a deep breath. "Really, Sirius? Because it doesn't seem that way."

The door behind them opened, and at once they all fell silent. Remus turned to see Professor Slughorn standing over them, sighing as he took in the sight of the four Gryffindor boys.

"Come in, come in," he muttered, gesturing them in without his usual joviality. Slowly, the boys entered, heads bowed as they lined up in front of the desk. Slughorn stood behind it, watching them carefully. "Who cursed Severus?"

"I did, sir," James mumbled, his face going red. "Sorry."

"It is not me you need to apologise to, boy," Slughorn sighed. "You must be aware that this behaviour is frowned upon at Hogwarts? Now, I am taking twenty points off Gryffindor for you, Mr Potter. As I am aware, you, Black, encouraged him?"

"Sir, I..."

"Fifteen points off for you, and as for you, Mr Lupin and Mr Pettigrew, as you simply watched...ten points off, each. Understand?"

"Yes, sir," they mumbled, not daring to look at him or each other.

"Potter, you are to join me here for a week, after dinner, to clean the cauldrons. Without magic. For four of those days, you will be joined by Black. For two, both Pettigrew and Lupin will also attend. Any questions?"

"No, sir," they replied, still staring at the floor.

"Good," Slughorn sighed. "Then I will see you all this evening after dinner. I suggest you wear old robes."

They nodded before filing out of the room and making their way back to the Great Hall for breakfast. Once they were a fair distance from the classroom, James spoke.

"Without magic?" he hissed. "This is ridiculous!"

"Don't they have House Elves to do that sort of thing?" Peter replied, sighing. "It'll take forever."

"Least you've only got two nights of it," Sirius mumbled. "Thanks to Evan's being a tell-tale, I have to go four nights!"

"You deserve it," Remus muttered, stopping and turning to face them, crossing his arms. "York and Slughorn were right; we should have stepped in to stop you. More importantly, you shouldn't have cursed Severus, James!"

"Severus?" James snapped. "What, you starting to feel sorry for the git now, too? Anyway, Remus, don't forget you were in on the plan from the start."

"No, I don't feel sorry for him," Remus shot back. "And fine, yeah, I was, but a full body-bind? In the Entrance Hall? How could you think we wouldn't get in trouble for that? In front of Lily, too!"

"You're right." James rubbed his chin, as if he had an invisible moustache. His eyes grew brighter, and Remus groaned on seeing the grin on his face. "I can see where we went wrong, Rem. And, with your help, maybe we can be a bit smarter about this..."


	23. Chapter Twenty Two

The four boys were gathered in the dungeon the following evening, bending over cauldrons and scrubbing hard at the grime that had built up on them.

"Sir," James mumbled, glancing up from his cauldron and looking at the Professor. "When was the last time these were cleaned?"

"Before Christmas, my dear boy," Slughorn chuckled, lifting his head. He had the Wizarding Wireless Network on, and the crooning voice of a singer who none of the boys could name filled the room. Slughorn surveyed the boys, all in separate corners of the room. He checked the time. "Another half hour, then you can go back to the Common Room. I want to see one more cauldron cleaned, from all of you. Understand?"

"Yes, sir," they chorused, before returning to the work.

Slughorn, marking papers, whistled along with the song playing. After a few minutes, the music stopped, to be replaced by a chiming noise.

"_Breaking news...a village in the south of Scotland has been attacked. The village was mostly comprised of Muggles, although Auror David McJames resided in the town, and has been reported dead..."_

Slughorn's face was pale, as the boys glanced nervously at each other. Remus kept his head bent forward, as the reporter read the statistics of those missing or injured. Another attack. James looked at Sirius, who simply shook his head. They knew that, by the next morning, the news would be all over the school.

The sixth years sometimes listened to the wireless in the common room, to keep up to date with the news and to entertain the younger students with some of the music. Would they be listening that night? Slughorn stood quickly and dismissed the students, ushering them quickly out of his room.

* * *

The wireless, indeed, was on in the common room.

A fifth year girl by the name of Elizabeth was sitting closest, crying. Other girls sat around her, some comforting her, others with their heads bowed. Arthur Weasley stood with Molly on the other side of the room, Molly with her hand covering her mouth as her body shook. James ushered the other boys towards Arthur, and as they approached, he quickly shook his head.

"There's been an attack..."

"We know," James muttered. "Slughorn had the wireless on. The Auror..."

"David McJames," Arthur sighed. "Liz's dad. She's an orphan, now."

James cringed, before glancing towards the girl. Her arms were crossed, her head bowed as tears fell silently down her face. Her fingers clutched at her robes, her shoulders shaking. The atmosphere in the room was sombre; everyone was quiet, listening to the radio, and the other first years were nowhere to be seen. The second years were missing, too.

Sirius questioned Arthur about their whereabouts.

"We sent them to bed," Arthur explained, staring hard at the boys. "You should go, too. This isn't something for kids."

"We're not kids," James whined, but Remus reached a hand out and put it on James' shoulder.

"Let's just go to the dorm, James," he pleaded, and James relented. Together, the four boys left the room and headed upstairs. Once they reached the dorm, it was to find both Michael and William wide awake. They sat on William's bed, the curtains open, and looked up as the others entered.

"Awful, isn't it?" William commented. "Poor Elizabeth."

James nodded, glancing towards the door with a frown. "Do you think she'll play the next match?"

William shrugged. "Merlin knows. Her dad came to a few games before, sat with the teachers. I noticed him at the last..."

Sirius nodded and moved to sit on his own bed. "This is getting...crazy."

"I agree," William nodded, eagerly. "Something's going out there, and no one is telling us what."

James fell onto his bed, one arm across his stomach as he stared upwards. Remus went into the bathroom, as Peter rummaged in his bedside drawer until he pulled out a Chocolate Frog. Eagerly, he unwrapped it and began to eat. Sirius glanced over to James.

"James? What's on your mind?"

"Everyone's too sad," he mumbled in reply, turning onto his side to face Sirius. "We should do something to cheer them up."

A twinkle entered Sirius' eyes, as he nodded eagerly. "You're right; bring some happiness to everyone!"

William groaned, as Michael chuckled. "As long as we aren't the butt of whatever you're planning to pull, I say go for it." William stared at him in shock as he shrugged. "They're right; it might be good to cheer people up."

"That's the spirit, Mike!" Sirius cheered. "You want to help?"

"No way!" Fiercely, he shook his head. "I've managed to make it this far without a detention, Black, and I plan on keeping it that way."

"Suit yourself!" Sirius cried, shrugging as Remus re-emerged from the bathroom. He swayed slightly, lifting a hand to his head. The other boys turned to look at him, James lifting himself up. "Remus?" Sirius began. "Are you..."

"Fine," Remus mumbled, shaking his head. "I just...feeling a bit dizzy." He moved quickly to his bed and sat down, taking out some parchment from his suitcase and putting it on the bed. He withdrew a quill and bent his head forward, tongue poking out.

"Remus?" Peter squeaked. "What you doing?"

"Astronomy homework," he mumbled in reply, scratching the back of his neck with the end of the quill.

"The moon charts?" William stood up. "They're not due for another week..."

"I know." Remus lifted his head, wand in one hand. "But I...never mind. I'll see you guys tomorrow." With that, he pulled the curtains close, leaving the other boys staring at his bed, at a loss for words.

The next morning found the Gryffindor First Years heading across the grounds towards the greenhouses. Sirius and James were discussing possible ways to cheer up the people at the school, while Peter asked Remus various questions about History of Magic.

He let out a cry as Remus swayed and fell to the ground.

The girls walked just ahead of them, and Peter's cry drew everyone's attention to Remus. James and Sirius jogged the few paces towards him, James crouching down and turning him so his face wasn't in the grass.

"Someone get a Professor!" Sirius cried, hovering behind James as he checked Remus' pulse.

"He's breathing fine," the black-haired boy muttered, glancing up at Sirius. "What do you think..."

Before he could finish, he spotted Lily running faster than he'd ever seen her run, towards the castle – closer than the greenhouses. Groggily, Remus opened his eyes. He stared up at James and muttered something under his breath about chocolate.

Both James and Sirius looked at Peter, who rummaged in his back and took out a bar of chocolate.

"Thank Merlin for your stash," James muttered, breaking a piece off and handing it to Remus. The smaller boy smiled thankfully as he sat up, biting into the chocolate. He hung his head forward, groaning as Lily reappeared, Professor York beside her. The Gryffindor Head ran towards Remus, as James and Sirius helped the boy to stand.

Lily stood inches behind York, surveying Remus with fear and worry in her emerald green eyes.

"Lupin, what happened?" Professor York asked, instantly using his wand and shining a light into Remus' eyes. Remus flinched away from the bright light.

"He fainted, sir," Sirius mumbled, when Remus didn't reply. "He just..."

"Collapsed," Peter whimpered.

"Come with me," Professor York commanded, reaching out and putting his hand on Remus' shoulder. "We need to get you to the Hospital Wing." The other three boys went to follow, but York shook his head. "You have a class to get to, all of you."

With moans and groans, the Gryffindor students headed towards the greenhouses once more. James and Sirius kept glancing over their shoulders, as York led Remus back to the castle. The boy was silent as they entered.

"How have you been feeling, Remus?" he asked, squeezing his shoulder.

"I didn't feel well last night, sir," he explained.

"Did you have breakfast?"

Remus blushed. "Not much, sir. I felt a bit sick."

Professor York nodded, glancing around to check no one was nearby. "The moon is close, Remus. Have you felt like this before?"

"Once or twice," he mumbled. "Not often. But...but at home I've been able to sleep, mostly, before the moon."

"Did you sleep well last night?"

Remus shook his head, and Professor York let out a sigh. Finally, they reached the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey appeared instantly, ushering Remus towards a spare bed as York explained what had happened. She pulled the curtains close around the bed, before darting off and into her office. When she returned, she crouched over Remus and shone her wand into his eyes.

"Follow the light, Remus," she whispered, voice soft and gentle. He did as he was told, and she seemed satisfied with the way his pupils followed the light. She stepped back, glancing towards Professor York. "He needs to rest," she explained. "The moon is in a few days; he needs some sleep, and to eat something. When was the last time you ate, Remus?"

"This morning," he mumbled, rubbing a piece of the blanket between his fingers. "But I didn't eat much. I felt...sick."

Madam Pomfrey nodded, before rounding on Professor York. "He's been working too hard, clearly. Now, Professor, don't you have a class to teach?"

Remus couldn't help but smile as a light blush reddened his teacher's face. The Professor mumbled something about checking on him later, before he slipped between the curtains and left the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey, her face full of concern, sat on the end of Remus' bed.

"Remus, did you get much sleep last night?"

He shook his head. "It was too hot."

"Your dorm, are the boys loud?"

"Sometimes."

"Do they make it difficult to get to sleep, when you need to?"

Remus gave her a weary grin, before nodding slowly. "But it's not their fault! They..."

"They won't get into trouble," she sighed. "I assume that, at home, you are able to nap as and when you need to?"

Again he nodded.

"But I've been fine all year!"

She reached forward, taking his hand in hers. She turned it over, placing her thumb over his pulse. "It's starting to take its toll, Remus. You're always very eager to get out of here and get back to class, you..."

"I can't fall behind," he groaned. "I can't! I need to work hard to make up for missing class when the moon is up."

She stared at him with a raised eyebrow, before rolling her eyes. "You will not be penalised for missing class and if you do feel yourself slipping, talk to your Professors. They won't mind giving you extra help, if you need it."

"I don't want to be treated different," he sighed, slumping back as she let go of his wrist.

"Well, for now, just get some sleep. I'll come back to check on you later." With that, she left him alone. Remus sank down under the covers, staring up at the ceiling and annoyed at himself for having to miss yet more classes.

* * *

"Please!" James begged, standing outside the Hospital Wing door. He stared up at Madam Pomfrey with wide eyes, his hands clasped together. Sirius stood at his side, pulling the puppy dog eyes that had, many a time, resulted in his getting his own way at home, as a young child. She let out an exasperated sigh.

"He needs to rest," she growled, crossing her arms as she stared down at them.

"We haven't seen him since yesterday!" Sirius cried. "Please, Madam Pomfrey, we just want to see that our friend is all right!"

She rolled her eyes, lifted a hand, silently commanding them to stay where they were. With that, she ducked back into the room. When she returned, she glared at the three boys. "Fine. _Fine, _you can come in. But ten minutes, that's all! After that he really needs to sleep!"

"Of course!" James ducked under her arm, Sirius flashed her a wide smile and Peter silently followed them. They gathered around Remus' bed.

"How you feeling, mate?" Sirius asked, dropping down into a chair. Remus gave them a weak smile.

"Fine," he mumbled. "Just a bit worn out. Madam Pomfrey said I just need some sleep."

"Can't you come back to the dorm?" Peter whined.

"Yeah, we'll be quiet!" Sirius promised, nodding eagerly.

Remus shook his head. "I have to stay in for a few days," he muttered. "She wants to keep an eye on me until I'm better." The truth was, the full moon was approaching and being in the Hospital Wing had given him a good excuse, even if he hated missing classes. "You guys will have to tell me what I missed, when I get out."

"Okay!" James grinned. "We'll try to pull an amazing prank so we have something to tell you then, Remus."

"Not like that," he groaned, rolling his eyes. "I mean...class-wise. Homework and that."

"Aw, we're going to have to take notes again, aren't we?" Sirius pouted as he sank down in the chair. Remus, slowly, nodded.

"Yes! Come on, guys, for me?"

"Sure thing, mate," James replied, grinning widely. "It's fine. We can split it, Sirius, don't worry. I..."

The door burst open, and Madam Pomfrey appeared from the office to see who had barged in. Lily Evans stood there, a deep blush settling itself on her face as she stared at the group of boys, all staring at her. "Oh," she gasped, taking a step back towards the door. "I didn't realise...I came..." In her hands, she clutched a couple of books. Madam Pomfrey raised an eyebrow as she looked at the Gryffindor first year. "I thought I'd bring Remus notes from class," she muttered, apologetically. "But I'll come back..."

"Or don't," James snapped. "After what you did, you think you can just..."

"James!" Remus cried, as Madam Pomfrey shouted,

"Mr Potter! You do not talk to another student like that here, do you understand?"

A bright red flush appeared on James' cheeks, as he turned away from Lily and glared at the floor. Madam Pomfrey ushered the boys towards the door.

"That's enough for one day. Miss Evans, you can give Mr Lupin his work when he is better. For now, _no _more visitors!"

The boys spluttered as she pushed them out the door. Lily stumbled backwards, still clutching the books as she stared at the woman. The door shut, leaving the four students in the hallway. James rounded on her.

"That was your fault!"

"My fault?" she snapped back. "How was that my fault, Potter?"

"If you hadn't come in..."

"Oh, give it a break!" she cried, before turning and storming off down the hall. James rolled his eyes, before Peter mumbled something about dinner. Sirius put an arm around James' shoulder.

"Don't worry about it, mate. Come on, let's go grab some grub."


	24. Chapter Twenty Three

James howled with laughter as he sprinted through the corridor, skidding as he rounded a corner. The grin stretched right across his face, as he kept his gaze focused ahead, eager to reach the Common Room. It had been a brilliant plan.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed him and yanked him sideways, causing him to stop. In moments, he was covered by the invisibility cloak, panting heavily as he glanced from Peter to Sirius. Both had grins to rival his.

"I wondered where you'd got to," he panted, taking his glasses off and wiping the sweat from them. "I..."

Sirius lifted a hand, shaking his head as he gestured down the corridor. Professor McGonagall rounded it, looking angrier than they had seen her all year. Despite the fact that she was a new teacher, she had quickly gained the respect of the students throughout the year. Still, that hadn't stopped the boys from trying to pull pranks in her class. They'd found out already that she was formidable, not someone to push too far, and now, it seemed, they _had _pushed further than they should have.

Still, to James, it was worth it.

Remus had a stack of notes on various spells in his bedside drawer, and he'd pointed it out to the boys last time he'd had to go home. James had pulled out the notes, scanned the parchment and found one they thought would help cheer some of the students up.

In fact, he had been more than pleased to see Elizabeth McJames laughing when a group of Slytherins were stopped from entering the Great Hall by two of the suits of armour. The armour had cried 'No snakes allowed', just as Professor McGonagall had arrived for dinner.

She had seen James at the bottom of the stairs, and immediately put two and two together. Quickly, he had legged it, racing through the castle like he had the Grim at his heels.

Now, he turned to the other two as McGonagall passed them.

"How'd it go down in the dungeons?"

He thought it would take a while for the teachers to realise what they'd done down there. Sirius and Peter had used another of Remus' spells to put messages on the dungeon walls leading to the Slytherin Common Room. The charm revealing the writing would be set off the moment anyone passed by. The messages were simple; things like _Snakes Suck _and _Green = envy, who you jealous of? _Childish and immature, but all the boys were surprised they had managed to pull it off.

Sirius flashed him a wide smile. "Fine. Come on, let's get back to the Common Room."

The room was fairly empty. The boys had chosen to eat dinner early so that they could put the charms up while most people were either in the Great Hall or heading to it. Now, they settled near the fire and waited.

It didn't take long for people to drift back in.

"That was brilliant!" a third year exclaimed, shaking his head. Behind him, a group of fifth years entered.

"Did you see the look on Malfoy's face?" one cried, overcome with laughter.

"Black looked like she could hex someone!" another chuckled, running a hand through his hair. Elizabeth entered not long after, giggling with her friends.

"Well, someone needed to take those girls down a notch," she muttered, and the boys sent each other knowing glances. "They strut around the school like they own it..."

Arthur Weasley was next to enter, and he was the only one who was not laughing or giggling at what had transpired. He crossed the room towards the three boys, stopping directly in front of James. "Potter!" he snapped. "Don't you have detention with Slughorn? You too, Black."

"Not for another fifteen minutes," James muttered, frowning.

"Professor York wants to see you now then, Potter," Arthur said, eyes narrowed. "He said to go now if you have time before your detention, so I suggest you head to his office."

"Yes, sir!" James cried, standing up and saluting Arthur. The grin on his face sent Sirius and Peter into pearls of laughter, but Arthur did not look happy. Finally, he let out a resigned sigh.

"Come on, Potter, I have to escort you."

They left the Common Room, trailing along the corridors. James whistled as they walked, causing Arthur to snap at him.

"Why did you do it, Potter?" he groaned. "McGonagall saw you! How did you think you were going to get away with it?"

James shrugged. "I didn't, not really. But we thought people could do with some cheering up. And Elizabeth liked it."

Arthur sighed, his shoulders dropping as he pushed his glasses up his nose. "James, we're going to lose points for this."

"So?" he mumbled in reply. "We did it to make people happy, and we did that. A few points don't matter."

They reached the office. Arthur stared down at James with a strange look in his eyes, before he knocked on the door. York called 'come in', and Arthur ushered the first year in before going, presumably, back to the Gryffindor Common Room.

Despite his words to Arthur, James felt fear flood through him as he found himself facing, not just Professor York, but McGonagall and Slughorn, too. Slughorn stared at him with a strange expression on his face; unlike York, he didn't look disappointed, and unlike McGonagall, he didn't look angry.

"Mr Potter," York sighed. The Gryffindor Head was sitting behind his desk, with the other two standing either side of him. "Take a seat."

James slid into the seat opposite, and immediately found his eyes dropping to the floor.

"Now, Mr Potter, what do you have to say for yourself?"

"I don't care about the points," James mumbled, realising he was addressing the table. Still, he couldn't bear to look up into the eyes of his Head of House. "I wanted to cheer people up. I wanted to make the other students laugh because of everything that's been happening."

Still, he did not look up. But if he had, he would have seen the anger disappear from the Transfiguration Professor's face, to be replaced by something akin to both pity and amazement. "That may be the case," York muttered, "but I'm afraid the way you went about it...well, I'm going to have to deduct twenty points from Gryffindor, and..."

"Now, now, Professor," Slughorn spoke up, chuckling as he did so. "I don't think you'll have to deduct points."

James' head snapped up as he looked at the Slytherin Head. Fear made his heart pound, wondering if Slughorn had something worse in store for him. York and McGonagall, however, just stared, wide-mouthed, at the Potions Professor.

"Horace," York muttered, "it was a direct attack against your House. If it was a Slytherin, I would not hesitate in allowing you to punish them."

"I am aware of that," Slughorn sighed. "But the matter is...well, Mr Potter here is right. The students needed a laugh and although I am aware it was at the expense of my own students, I was more than happy to see the joy of Miss McJames' face when she came into the Great Hall. Plus, well, it was magic beyond his years."

McGonagall nodded, as James' jaw dropped. "He's right. We don't teach those spells until third year. Mr Potter, where did you get the spells for the prank?"

James gulped. "I..."

"If it was another student," Professor Slughorn interrupted. "They will not be punished."

"It was Remus, sir," James squeaked. "He made a list of useful spells and left them in the dorm. He reads a lot."

McGonagall seemed to struggle to hold back a grin, as Professor York raised an eyebrow. Professor Slughorn nodded.

"His intentions were good," he sighed, eventually. "And to pull off a spell like that at his age...well, I would suggest awarding him points but I don't think that is right, either," he chuckled. "I suggest, instead, that he serve an extra night detention on top of the ones he is serving now, and no points are added or deducted. Does that sound fair, Professor York?"

York nodded, before looking at James. "Take this as a warning, Potter. If you pull something like this again, the consequences will be more severe than just one detention. Understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good, now go with Professor Slughorn. Good night, Potter."

"Night, sir," James mumbled, as the Potions Professor moved past him. He stood and quickly followed. Once they were in the hallway, Slughorn turned to the first year.

"Let's give detention a miss tonight, shall we? Tell Black to come with you tomorrow. Oh, and, Potter..."

"Yes, sir?" James couldn't help but grin, unable to believe his luck, unable to believe that he had actually got away with it.

"I have small get-togethers sometimes, with some of the students. I usually don't invite people until their third year but...well, I was wondering, would you be interested in coming to the next one?"

James couldn't help but blink in wonder at Professor Slughorn, but realising how many favours the Slytherin Head had pulled for him tonight, he answered with a simple, "Of course, sir."

"Good, good and, Potter, ask Mr Lupin if he would like to come along, too. It would be good to see more of both of you, outside the class."

James nodded eagerly, trying to seem over the moon about the prospect when, in reality, doubt gnawed at him.

"Good. Look out for my owl. Night, Potter."

"Night, sir."

With that, they went their separate ways, James practically whistling as he made his way back to the Common Room.

He couldn't believe his luck. He'd actually got away with it! And, so far, there had been no mention of the writing in the dungeons. He wondered if it had worked. Perhaps, he thought, something had gone wrong, perhaps the spell hadn't been quite right.

Passing by a large bay window, James saw something out of the corner of his eye. He came to a stop, turning to look out over the grounds. Frowning, his eyes snapped downwards to see two shapes moving quickly from the castle towards the forest. Both had hooded cloaks covering them, and all he could tell at first was that one was taller. The other, from where he stood, looked to be about his height, maybe slightly shorter. James frowned, inching closer to the window.

Of all the things to pay attention to, it was the walk of the smaller figure that caused realisation to dawn on James. Questions ran through his head as both came to a stop near the Whomping Willow, a tree that no one dared go near to. Even James and Sirius hadn't ventured near it, yet; true to its name, it had the tendency to try to hit anyone who came close to its branches.

Why were they heading for it?

He pushed his face to the glass, amazed as the smaller figure picked up a branch and pressed something at the bottom of the tree.

The Willow froze.

The figure darted forward and disappeared inside it, and the taller figure turned, heading back up to the castle.

James turned away from the window and headed back to the Common Room, one question clear in his mind.

What was Remus hiding?


	25. Chapter Twenty Four

"James?"

Sirius waved a hand in front of his friend's face, looking concerned. James' head snapped up, eyes wide as he realised he hadn't been paying attention. Sirius glanced towards Peter, who shrugged.

He'd arrived back in the Common Room barely half an hour ago, and had quickly told Sirius and Peter about being let off from detention. Glad of his new found freedom, Sirius had set up a game of Wizarding Chess.

"James, it's your move," he said, watching as James, almost as if he was slowly coming out of a dream, glanced over the board and tried to think of his next move.

He'd made the decision not to tell Sirius and Peter what he'd seen. He would speak to Remus, first. The boy was clearly hiding something, but James didn't think it was a secret he should share. Not straight away, anyway.

The portrait swung open, and as was usual in the Common Room, most people looked over to see who was entering. Lily and Alice were deep in discussion, both carrying piles of books. They must have been in the library, James thought. Exams were coming up, and whereas he, Sirius and Peter were happy slacking off, others had been piling in and out of the library, determined to study.

James spotted the book on the top of the pile, as Lily placed them down and stretched her undoubtedly aching arms. She glanced at him, frowning.

"What are you looking at, Potter?"

"Nothing," he mumbled, tearing his eyes away from the Defence Against the Dark Arts book that Lily had been carrying. Dark Creatures. Caedmon had hinted that they were more than likely to come up, although they would only be looking at the basics.

Something in James' head clicked.

"What, no witty retort?" Lily scoffed. "Something wrong with you today, Potter?"

James leapt to his feet, scrambling up as he ran across the Common Room and towards the stairs. Lily, Sirius and Peter gaped at his retreating back, all of them wondering the exact same thing, questioning what, exactly, had got into James Potter.

He burst into the dorm, stopping by his bed as he reached into the drawer in the cabinet and yanked out his homework. His eyes scanned the half-completed moon chart, until they reached the current date.

"Full moon," he whispered to himself. "It's a full moon. And Remus was away...a month ago..." He went back through the dates in his head, checking them against the chart. "Oh, Merlin, Remus!" he sighed, slumping onto his bed, eyes still fixed on the chart.

Now he knew for sure; there was no way he could tell Sirius and Peter.

* * *

The score for the Quidditch Cup was currently tied.

It meant that, for the second time that year, Gryffindor were to play Slytherin.

This time, there was more at stake than just winning or losing; this match would decide, once and for all, who would take the glory of the Cup.

The whole of Gryffindor was aquiver with excitement and nerves. Briefly, Remus wondered how the Slytherins could still act like they owned the school, when the rest of the school was against them.

The moment he'd left the Hospital Wing, he knew something was up. It was strange to walk around the castle and see students from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff sporting Gryffindor colours. Some of the older students had charmed the badges on their robes so that they showed lions alongside the badger or eagle. Out in the grounds, someone was holding a large banner that read _Gryffindor for the Quidditch Cup! _At the end, a lion could be seen swatting at a snake.

Really, Remus couldn't help but feel a bit bad for the Slytherins.

As it turned out, one of the Slytherin students had tried to hex the Gryffindor keeper, another had tried to slip something into the drinks at the table and Remus felt his sympathy ebbing.

All of this he learnt on his way from the Hospital Wing to the Common Room.

Yet no one told him why.

It was only when he found Sirius and Peter that they explained about the match, and suddenly Remus understood. Of course, thanks to the banner, he knew it was about Quidditch, but he had assumed that Quidditch was over and all the excitement was because they had already won.

"All of the Gryffindor team are getting other students to try their food and drink before they eat," Sirius explained. "They're even paying for it! Michael's been throwing up all day."

Remus cringed at the thought.

"Where's James?" he asked eventually, finding it odd that their bespectacled friend wasn't around. He thought he would be loving this; he had expected to return to find James and Sirius planning another prank against the Slytherins. After all, with the castle as it was, this was the perfect opportunity.

"He went to the library," Sirius muttered, frowning. "Said he wanted to study. Left about half an hour ago."

"Really?" Remus glanced around the room. "That's...odd. Are you sure he's not looking up spells for a prank?"

"I hope so," Sirius replied.

"Remus! You should have seen what we did!" Peter chipped in, a wide grin stretched across his face. Remus turned to the other boy, a soft smile around his lips as Peter began to explain the pranks they pulled on the Slytherins.

"The writing on the dungeon walls never showed," Sirius sighed when Peter had finished. "But that may be for the best. James just about managed to get out of detention. Oh, yeah, he asked me to tell you, Slughorn has invited you two for a meeting. Nothing bad. He said to look out for his owl."

"A meeting?" Remus frowned, leaning back in his chair.

"Slughorn likes clever-cogs," Sirius explained. "My cousin Andromeda explained it to me. He has these Slug Club things with people he thinks could go far. Apparently, he rarely asks first years to go."

"Why did he ask me and James?"

"I think he was impressed with the prank. James didn't even get punished for it."

"Oh. Right."

The boys fell silent, Sirius and Peter continuing with their game of Exploding Snap. Remus mulled over Sirius' words, surprised by the summons. He watched the game, barely paying attention, wondering what would be expected of him at this 'Slug Club'. Would he have to perform a spell? The prospect terrified him. What if there were loads of people there? He didn't think he would do well, with a lot of people watching him.

Eventually, tired and exhausted from the full moon, he went to bed, where he dreamt of standing in front of a group of Slytherins, desperately trying to make his wand light up. "Lumos!" he cried, over and over. They began to laugh, and it wasn't until Remus glanced downwards that he realised he wasn't wearing any robes, that he was just in his underpants.

Fear and anger took over his body and then, suddenly, he was the wolf, lashing out at the Slytherin students, roaring as he lunged at them. Severus Snape's face loomed up in front of him, terrified as he started to cry, begging for his life...

* * *

The teachers had given up teaching by the end of the week. It was just too difficult with Slytherins and Gryffindors yelling at each other across classes, or trying to hex each other when they were supposed to be practicing other spells. Students asked questions that were nothing to do with teaching.

And, in the staff room, they all agreed that the main offenders of this were James Potter and Sirius Black.

Not that the teachers minded. On the contrary, they found themselves getting into the spirit. Professor Slughorn just chuckled when James asked if there was a potion that would render someone unable to control a broom. McGonagall, a Gryffindor when she was a student, couldn't hold back a smile when Sirius quizzed her on spells to turn Slytherins into snakes. Or brooms into snakes. Or brooms into lions.

Professor Caedmon was bombarded with questions from both of them on ways to protect their team from the hexes and curses of the Slytherins. After class, he called for Sirius and James to remain behind. He slipped them a piece of paper with defensive charms on them, telling them not to tell anyone as he winked. "I'm sure you're capable of performing them," he whispered, although he held the knowledge that neither boy would be able to perform the spells while the players were in the air. Still, there was no harm in letting them try, in giving them a head start on their Second Year work.

In fact, that was how most teachers took it. For once, James and Sirius actually paid attention. And Remus could clearly see what the teachers were doing. He was impressed; both boys practiced the various charms and spells in the Common Room after classes. The spells were above their level, but they worked hard and he just wished they'd apply the same dedication to their studies.

Despite all this, Remus had the odd impression that James was avoiding him. Often, if, for some reason, it was just those two, he'd make up some excuse to leave. The day before the match, Remus stepped out of the shower to find James digging through his suitcase for something. Remus watched him for a few seconds before greeting him.

"Oh, Remus, hey," James muttered, shutting the lid and pushing it back under his bed as Remus crossed towards his own. "I have to...go." With that, James left, leaving Remus alone in the dorm.

He found it all very odd.

On the Saturday, hordes of students made their way down to the pitch, most wearing the Gryffindor colours. Small groups of Slytherins moved through the crowd, keeping their heads down as they approached the stadium.

"Gryffindor! Gryffindor!" The chant rose up all around them. The students piled into the stands and waited. The air of excitement was unbelievable, and Remus felt glad that he was actually experiencing it. James shuffled in and sat between Sirius and Peter, leaving Remus on the end between Peter and a third year. Everyone fell silent as Professor York stepped out onto the pitch.

Once he'd reached the middle, the Slytherin team stepped out at one end. The announcer – a Hufflepuff in his fourth year – read out their names. Each one received heavy boos from around the stands, the cheers of the Slytherins drowned out by every other house.

Next came the Gryffindor team. Cheers erupted across the pitch, the faint boos and hisses of the green clad Slytherins barely audible above the cheers, whoops, cat-calls and yells of everyone who wanted to see a Gryffindor win. The two captains crossed towards the middle of the pitch, while the rest of their teams prepared themselves to take off into the air.

The Captains shook hands, Professor York blew his whistle and Remus held his breath as the teams kicked off the ground. All of them shot upwards, the Chasers flying towards the quaffles. Even the thought of flying was enough to make Remus feel sick and, watching as a streak of red caught the ball and shot off towards the Slytherin end, he felt more than a little dizzy.

Humans were not meant to fly, but they were easily adaptable. Wolves were not.

Beside him, he could hear James and Sirius whispering spells under their breaths. They had their wands out, held close to their legs, and every so often would mutter in frustration. Whatever they were trying to do, it didn't seem to be working.

Remus returned his focus to the match, watching as a Slytherin Beater smacked the bludger towards the Gryffindor Seeker. The crowd held their breath as the Seeker dived, just missing the large black ball. One of the Gryffindor Beaters chased after it, his bat held in the air. He whacked it, and it sailed towards the Slytherin Keeper.

He was not as lucky as the Seeker.

The ball hit his chest, sending him tumbling backwards. Luckily, he kept his grip on the broom, just about, and remained airborne, although his face was flushed a deep red and he was panting heavily. He signalled to York, and the ref blew his whistle.

The sound echoed around them as the players landed. Professor York spoke quickly to the two captains, and the keeper was led off. The crowd waited while the reserve was brought in. His face was pale and he was visibly shaking as everyone got back onto the brooms.

"And it looks like a penalty! Slytherin will take a shot."

The keeper fumbled the ball and it flew backwards into the goal, causing groans and moans to rise from the stands.

The score stood at 90 – 60, with Slytherin in the lead.

Everyone was tense. Eyes scanned the air for the snitch, the small golden ball which would win them the match. James, as he had in the past, kept his keen eyes scanning around for it, eager to spot it before the seekers.

Gasps rose from everyone as, suddenly, the Slytherin Seeker, a small, slim boy, turned his broom around and raced towards the Hufflepuff stand. James' head snapped around to watch, while other eyes turned to the Gryffindor Seeker. He paid no attention to the Slytherin, and people cried out to him from every stand.

Except the Hufflepuff stand.

"It's an earring," James hissed, fists clenching at his sides. "He's going to crash into her!"

The _her _in question sat still, face pale and body frozen as, slowly, everyone else caught on to what the Seeker had spotted. Fear engulfed the crowd as the Hufflepuffs started shouting at him to turn around, warning him that it wasn't the snitch.

Attention snapped back to the Gryffindor seeker as he turned his broom upwards and shot towards the sky. The Slytherin Seeker turned upwards at the last second, skimming the stand and the people inside. A collective breath was let out as the Gryffindor turned his broom sharply to the right. In vein, the Slytherin Seeker turned his broom and started racing towards the other end of the pitch.

It was obvious to everyone that he would not get there in time. James' eyes scanned the sky above the Gryffindor Seeker, frowning when he found himself unable to spot the snitch. Suddenly, the Seeker's hand snapped out and his fingers closed around something. He flew back down, level with the stands, and raised his hand.

His fingers uncurled, to reveal the small, golden ball.

Everyone erupted.

Cheers rose up, everyone chanting _Gryffindor! Gryffindor! Gryffindor! _The Seeker's grin was huge, stretching ear to ear as his teammates flew up and circled him. They landed, the Slytherin team following shortly after. As they landed, the Captain crossed towards his seeker and smacked him across the head, before storming off to the changing rooms.

"And that is it! Gryffindor have won the Quidditch Cup!"

More cheers and cries of joy. Everyone was whooping, hugging each other. The Slytherins were the first to leave their stands, leaving everyone else to their celebrations.


	26. Chapter Twenty Five

It seemed like, before the students had time to recover from the Gryffindor victory, they were being bombarded with revision lists for the exams. Every year had to sit various exams to test their skills in the subjects, although the fifth and seventh year students had already completed theirs.

James was still avoiding Remus as much as he could, but he couldn't help but spend time with him when they were trying to revise. He was, after all, the best bet they had for passing. So the four boys found themselves gathered around a table in the Common Room, a list of their upcoming exams in front of them.

"All the theory goes first," Remus muttered, glancing upwards to make sure the other three were listening. "The practical exams are near the end of the period. So I think we should focus on theory for the next few days, then move on and do practical stuff before last-minute theory. Sound good?"

"Sure. What's the first exam?" Sirius asked, causing Remus to glance down at the list.

"History of Magic. It's the Monday morning. Charms theory is the afternoon."

"History?" Peter groaned. "I hate History."

"It's okay," James laughed. "We have Remus to help us, and..."

There was a tapping at the window. All four boys whirled around as Lily approached the window and opened it, letting a small barn owl fly in. It headed for the four boys and landed right on Remus' exam list.

It hooted, pecking the air in James' direction. The boy reached forward, taking the slip of parchment from the owl's leg. It flew off, heading back out the window as Lily returned to her seat, sending glances towards James. He ignored her, focusing on the parchment instead.

_Mr Potter,_

_I would be delighted if you could join us tomorrow evening for a little tea party before the exams. Please invite Mr Lupin along, too.  
_

_Professor H. Slughorn._

James looked up, showing the short letter to Remus.

"We should go," James decided. "It couldn't hurt, could it? He could give us extra marks."

"Maybe," Remus sighed, feeling his hands shaking as he looked up. "What does he mean by _tea party, _anyway?"

"Exactly what it says." The voice came from nearby, and the boys looked over to see the Gryffindor Seeker, Richard Bowls. He grinned at them. "It's just sitting around talking. It's interesting though; I mean, Slughorn obviously sees some sort of potential in the people he invites, and I know the ones who have attended before have tended to go far. He must be very impressed with you, Potter. Never heard of him inviting a first year before."

"So you go, too?" Remus asked, finding comfort in the older boy's words.

"Yeah. Slughorn invited me last year, after my first match. It's kind of an honour. Full of snakes, mind, but still. Guess it can't be helped."

James and Remus glanced at each other, before James shrugged.

"Well then, guess we'd better go."

"But...revision..." Remus squeaked, gesturing to the exam list.

"It's fine. We don't have classes for the next week; we can revise during the day tomorrow and then go." James glanced at Bowls. "Thanks."

"No problem," Bowls shrugged. "If you do feel iffy about the whole thing, I could walk down with you tomorrow? Me and the couple other Gryffindors usually go together."

"Yeah, that would be great, thanks!"

Bowls flashed him a smile, before turning back to his own group of friends.

Remus sighed, rubbing his head with his hands. Well, if it stopped James acting so odd with him, he thought, maybe it really would be worth going.

Remus woke the other three up early the next morning, and dragged them down to the library as soon as they had eaten breakfast. Sirius complained the whole way, until Remus snapped at him and told him he was welcome to go back to bed, if he wanted to fail the exams and not be allowed back to Hogwarts for their second year.

Sirius muttered something in reply about not being able to stand his mother over the holidays, let alone the whole year, and then remained quiet.

Remus selected a table near the back of the library, hoping the distance from the door would stop the others getting distracted. He laid out his History of Magic notes in front of them, handing a different set to each of the boys before telling them to read them and make their own notes. Then, he disappeared to find some books to aid them in their revision.

Remus wondered through the rows of large, old tomes. For some reason, he had always liked the smell of old books. It was comforting, to him, and his mother often brought him various books as presents. Some were old Muggle classics; he'd read Dickens, and Austen, and even a couple of Shakespeare plays. Often, his mother would go shopping to Diagon Alley, and when she did she returned with other books for Remus.

Classic Wizarding Fiction and textbooks on all sorts of subjects.

He devoured these books, especially on the days after the full moon when he remained in bed, unable to muster up the energy to do anything except read.

As much as he loved Hogwarts, loved his friends and the lessons and the castle itself, Remus felt an odd pang for home. He was looking forward to the end of term, to seeing his parents again, although he knew that, a week in, he'd most likely be pining for Hogwarts. Still, it wasn't surprising that he felt a bit homesick.

He gathered up the books and took them to the table, putting them down in front of the boys before he sat and started reading up on History, going over the parts he was a bit sketchy on.

A couple of hours later, they switched to Transfiguration, before covering Charms.

Sirius checked the large clock on the wall. "It's time for dinner!" he announced, stretching his arms above his head.

"We'd better go down to the dungeons," James sighed, glancing at Remus. The smaller boy nodded, and after putting the books away, they left.

"Go over the notes," Remus told Sirius and Peter. "We go can over anything you're not sure about tomorrow."

Both boys nodded, although Remus suspected that Sirius wouldn't bother. Peter, however, would. He was by far the most eager out of the other three to take advantage of Remus. It wasn't surprising; Peter was, perhaps, the one who needed the most help.

They said quick goodbyes outside the Great Hall, before Sirius and Peter headed in for dinner and Remus and James left to go to the dungeons. James had spoken to Bowls earlier that day, explaining that they were going to head straight down from the library and that they were okay walking on their own, without the older students.

As they left the corridor and descended into the darker areas of the castle, where there were no windows to allow light in, James took a deep, shuddering breath.

"Remus?"

"Yeah?"

"You know how friends don't have secrets?"

It felt like something caught in Remus' throat. He kept his gaze fixed ahead of them, not even daring to glance sideways at the other boy. Instead, he remained silent, trying to give away nothing by just walking, making no other movement. Eventually, James continued.

"Remus, I have a secret."

It was like someone had splashed him with freezing water on a boiling hot day. His chest loosened, and he forced himself to give James a shaky smile. "I think we can all have our secrets, James."  
"

Yes, but...it's not a secret about me."

Heat flooded through Remus, and he longed for that cold water feeling again. It was odd, he thought, how only a few simple words could change your emotions so completely.

"Who is it about, James?"

"You."

James stopped, reaching out and placing a hand on Remus' shoulder. When the smaller boy looked at him, Remus was surprised to see no fear or anger in the other boy's face. Just pity.

"I know, Remus. I...I saw you going across the grounds, and I saw the moon, and I...I worked it out."

It felt like the world was about to crumple around him. He could feel his body starting to shake as he took a step back, keeping his gaze fixed on the ground as he resisted the tears that wanted, so badly, to flow from his eyes.

"P-p-p-please," he gasped, refusing to meet James' eyes, "James, don't t-t-t-tell anyone. Just...I won't hang around with you guys anymore, I'll...I'll...I'll do anything, James. I just, you can't tell people. I know I'm evil and horrible and you hate me but please, I just...it was hard for Dumbledore to get me in and if people know they won't want me here. Please, James, I..."

To his surprise, he felt strong arms engulf him, pulling him close to a warm body. Remus sniffed, smelling the familiar scent that James Potter carried. The taller boy squeezed him. "I won't tell, Remus. And I don't hate you. You're not evil and horrible! Not at all! You're great!" James let go, stepping back. He took off his glasses, wiping them on his shirt as he stared at Remus.

"You mean it?"

"Yes. But I think you should tell Sirius and Peter. They're your friends too, Remus. And none of us are going to stop liking you just because you turn into a wolf once a month." He grinned at him, seeming almost excited by the prospect. "Hey, do you howl?"

Remus nodded, absorbing James' reaction.

"Where do you go, anyway?" 

"The Shrieking Shack," he muttered. "There's a tunnel that goes under the Willow."

"The Shack? In Hogsmeade? Isn't it haunted?"

Remus grinned. "No! Dumbledore helped spread the rumour so that if the wolf was loud, no one would be brave enough to check it out."

James nodded, and the pair continued down, towards Slughorn's office. "Does it get...lonely? When you're down there?"

Remus shrugged. "I think the wolf is lonely. Sometimes."

"How long?"

"Years." Remus grinned, a weary, worn grin as he shrugged. "James...ask me whatever you want but we maybe shouldn't talk about it right now."

"Of course," James muttered, as they arrived. "Are you going to tell Sirius and Peter?"

"In my own time."

"Okay." James lifted his hand and knocked on the door. Slughorn's familiar voice called for them to come in, and both boys entered. The room was fairly large, with a table in the middle, around which sat a variety of different students. The majority were Slytherins, but there were Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors. All were chatting amongst each other, and James and Remus sat between a Ravenclaw girl and Richard Bowls. The seeker smiled at them, as the girl glanced uncertainly at them.

"You're the two who pulled that prank on the Slytherins, aren't you?" she drawled, still watching them carefully.

"Yep!" James stated, proudly. "Although Remus just helped with the spell. He didn't do the actual prank."

Remus became aware of the eyes now turning to look at them. The Slytherins glared, eyes narrowed, before one loudly said, "Professor Slughorn, why are those two here?"

"Yeah, we don't appreciate their presence," a boy said, glaring at them both.

"Now, now," Slughorn sighed. "There was no harm done, was there? It was just a harmless prank, and Mr Potter showed skill beyond his years. Mr Lupin had knowledge that most of you didn't have until the end of your second year. I think they deserve a place at my table, wouldn't you agree, Miss Parker?"

A Hufflepuff girl glanced nervously up from where she'd been staring at the table. Her face flushed pink, and she nodded slowly. "It was impressive," she admitted.

"Miss Parker is a very talented witch," Slughorn explained to James and Remus. "Especially when it comes to Charms. Now, Cartwright, I trust you and your friends won't give them any trouble?" He turned to the Slytherin who had spoken first, who glared before rolling his eyes.

"No, sir."

"Good, good. Why, look at the time! I bet you are all starving!" Slughorn waved his wand and, just as the food appeared in the Great Hall, the plates in the middle of the table filled up. Sandwiches and cakes sat in front of them, as Professor Slughorn started to pass around a teapot. Soon, everyone had full plates and full cups and were happily munching away. Remus soon felt himself start to relax, as James engaged Bowls in a discussion about Quidditch. The Ravenclaw girl still seemed displeased at their presence, and remained silent.

"Are you thinking about trying out for the team next year?" Richard asked. James eagerly nodded. "Which position were you hoping to go for?"

"I'd like to be a Seeker," James admitted. "But I don't think that's an option. Not until you leave, anyway."

"Try out anyway," Richard suggested. "It's always worth a shot, and we have to attend try-outs every year to prove we're still as good. Even if you don't kick me off the team – fingers crossed – it's a chance to see how well you stack up."

"That's not a bad idea."

"Of course not! One of the Chasers is leaving this year, so maybe you'll get his spot?"

"Yeah, maybe," James agreed, as Remus reached forward and picked up a chicken sandwich. He glanced at James, who seemed deep in thought.

"What about you, Lupin?" Richard glanced at the smaller boy. "You interested in Quidditch at all?"

Remus shook his head. "I'm not very good at flying," he admitted. "I prefer to keep my feet on the ground."

Richard nodded. "So what do you like doing, Remus?"

"Reading," James chuckled. "Remus reads loads. That's why he's so clever." Remus felt his cheeks go red.

"Ah, more of an academic, are you? Have you two given any thought to what you want to do after school?"

Remus couldn't help but notice that Slughorn wasn't really paying attention to the boy beside him. Instead, the professor was staring at him and James, a look of deep interest on his face.

"I don't know," James muttered. "I mean, it's early, isn't it? We're only at the end of first year."

"What about you, Remus?"

Remus shrugged. "I have no idea."

"Well, you do have plenty of time, I suppose," Richard replied. "But you do want to start thinking about it early. It'll put you in a better position. I knew from second year that I wanted to play Quidditch. And Professor Slughorn is always interested in what our future plans are."

"Of course I am!" Slughorn boomed. "I like to encourage you all to be the best you can be. But Mr Potter and Mr Lupin have a point; it's very early to start thinking. Leave the poor boys alone, Richard."

During the rest of the tea party, Slughorn focused the conversations in his own direction. He threw questions at different students, regarding their families, their studies and their interests. Bit by bit, James and Remus learnt more about the rest of the students in the Slug Club.

"Ah, look at the time," Professor Slughorn cried, not long after they had finished eating. "I do believe you should all be getting to bed. Now, I will be having a little end of year party after the rest of the exams, I trust you will all attend?"

There were 'yes, sir's all around, as the students filtered out and headed back to their dorms. The Ravenclaw girl Remus had sat next to all night glanced at them, frowning, before following the rest of the Ravenclaws. Soon, James and Remus were left with the other Gryffindors, who all began chatting about the subjects they were studying. James listened with mild interest, while Remus paid full attention to the classes they had yet to have the chance to attend.

Finally, they reached the Common Room.

It was very late; only a few older students, who had finished exams, were in the room. Remus assumed that others were either in bed or still studying. They said goodnight to the Slug Club Gryffindors before climbing the stairs to their dorms.

Peter's curtains were drawn, and his snores filled the room. Both Michael and William, it seemed, had gone to bed. Sirius was sitting up in bed, a book open across his legs, his wand casting a faint glow over the text.

He glanced up, smiling tiredly at the other two.

"Hey," he whispered. "How did it go?"

"Not too bad," James admitted, heading towards his bed and crawling onto it. "What did you think, Remus?"

"It was...interesting," Remus replied. "But...unnerving. Some of the people there were pretty full of themselves."

"Are you going to go to the party?" James asked.

"Maybe. You?"

"There's a party?" Sirius groaned. "That's not fair!"

"I doubt it will be any good," James chuckled. "Most likely very different to the extravagant Black parties."

"I'll have you know they're very boring," Sirius replied, putting the book onto his bedside table and sinking further into his bed, his torso disappearing under the duvet. "And me and Reg get sent to bed early, anyway. Before all the adults drink all the fire whiskey."

"I'm going to bed," Remus announced, diving onto his own bed and drawing his curtains. "Night, guys."

"Night, Remus!" they replied, as Remus shut his curtains and took off his shirt. He glanced down at his chest.

Usually, Remus checked his new scars after every full moon, but with all the excitement of the last few days, he hadn't had a chance. Now, he ran a finger down the scars on his chest. Old, faded scars sat under new ones. He knew it would take years for the new scars to fully heal; some he had had since he first turned.

Two deep red scars stretched across his body, almost parallel to the faded pink ones from the full moon months past. They brought him little pain now; he'd grown too used to it. The change itself was painful, and once the wolf's mind took over, it clawed at its own skin, trying to break free from the pain it felt. Remus slid his hand under his pillow, pulling out a small bottle of cream that Madam Pomfrey had given him.

Carefully, he spread it over the new scars, biting down on his bottom lip to stop the hiss that wanted to escape. He had to be quiet.

As he rubbed the cream on, he thought of James. His mind wondered to what his friend had said, and Remus was unable to help the smile that crept onto his face.

If James was able to except him for what he was, maybe Sirius and Peter would, too? Perhaps they could know, perhaps they wouldn't run in fear from him. But he still had to keep it quiet from the rest of the school. He could only imagine what the other children would think of him, and even in his own mind, the results were not good.

Children were cruel; it was a fact of life. Remus' parents had tried putting him in a Muggle primary school once, but the other children scorned him. They could almost sense that something was wrong. Unable to cope, Remus had accidently performed magic, and knowing that he was unable to control it, his parents pulled him out.

Remus pushed the memories away, put the cream back and sank down onto his bed, closing his eyes and drifting off to a peaceful, dreamless sleep.


	27. Chapter Twenty Six

The week before the exams, they had no lessons. Well, no _real _lessons anyway. A few of the teachers were, however, running revision lessons for anyone who thought they might need it. Sirius and James were against going.

"With you helping us, Remus, we don't _need _to go!" Sirius protested, as Remus gathered up his items for the Defence Against the Dark Arts revision session. He let out a deep sigh, before whirling around and facing Sirius.

"Expelliarmus!" he cried, pointing his wand at the other boy. Sirius let out a yelp as his wand flew from his hand and landed on the floor. Remus gave him a smug smirk. "Still think you don't need to go?"

Sirius grumbled under his breath as he reached down and picked up the wand, glaring at Remus as he clutched his wand.

"Fine." He shook his head, as Peter laughed. The four boys left the dorm, making their way across the school to their classroom. When they reached it, it was to find only a small number of students there. Unlike their normal lessons, the revision sessions were set up for anyone from any house. On the board was written _First Year Defence Revision, _and James glanced quickly around the class.

Lily and Alice sat in the middle of the room, chatting away happily. A few Slytherins sat over in the far corner, huddled together. In front of them sat Snape, bent over his parchment and scribbling away. The majority of students were either Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw; they dominated the room, spread across it.

James shrugged, gesturing to a desk on the end of the forth row. They gathered around it, Remus taking out parchment, quills and book, tongue poking out of his mouth as he checked he had everything he needed.

He glanced up at the others. "Guys," he groaned. "Please, make some effort?"

Sirius let out a loud sigh before taking things out of his own bag, James and Peter following his example. The room was full of the talk of students, people discussing their plans for the summer or making arrangements for stuff to do as soon as the exams finished.

Eventually, the door opened.

To everyone's surprise, however, it wasn't Professor Caedmon who stepped in.

Instead, Professor York moved to the front of the class, turned around and faced the students.

Immediately, hands shot up.

"Miss Evans?"

"Sorry, sir, but...where's Professor Caedmon?"

York chuckled. "I thought you would ask that. I was about to answer it before you all put your hands up. Anyway, Professor Caedmon is unavailable at the moment. As he feels he has done all he can to help you prepare for the exams, he has set off on some other work. Don't worry; he has handed over some notes to me to help your revision. Now, any questions?"

Again, hands shot up into the air. One by one, Professor York addressed the questions, instructing the students on various Defensive theories and demonstrating different spells. All while this was going on, James sat there with a thoughtful expression on his face, looking for all the world as if he wasn't seeing anything around him.

X X X

"Potter."

"Evans." James looked up from the book he had been reading, to see Lily standing over his table, a pile of books clutched against her chest. "What do you want?"

She sat opposite him, dropping the books and narrowing her eyes, regarding him carefully. "I want to talk to you about something."

"Aw, what's wrong? Struggling, are you?"

She rolled her eyes, letting out a huff as she glanced around the library. "Where are your friends?"

"Remus and Sirius are helping Peter with some spells," he explained, frowning at her. "Why, Evans? Wanted to speak to one of them instead? I'm not good enough for you?"

"You're an arse," she hissed, shaking her head. "Actually, Potter, it was you I wanted to speak to. You looked...concerned, this morning, when Professor York was in the revision session and not Professor Caedmon."

"Taken to staring at me in class, now?" he chuckled. "I know I'm handsome, Evans, but..."

"Shut up!" she snapped. "Christ, will you just listen to me? No, I wanted to know _why _you looked so...thoughtful. You clearly weren't concentrating."

"And why should I tell you?"

"Because I want to know if you were thinking the same as me."

James sighed, leaning back and crossing his arms. "Fine. Well...I know Professor Caedmon used to do some work for the Ministry, before he came to teach at Hogwarts. With everything else that's been going on, I just wondered if, perhaps, he wasn't just off _for work_, as York put it. I reckon he's investigating something."

"The attacks," Lily whispered, leaning forward slightly. "I was right; I was thinking the same thing. But I didn't know he used to work for the Ministry."

"My parents told me," James explained. "Why are your knickers so in a twist about it, anyway?"

Lily lifted some of the books off her pile, pulling out a few newspapers. She pushed them to James. He scanned them, frowning, confused, as he looked at the photos on the front page.

"They're not moving."

"They're muggle papers," she explained. "I asked my parents to send me some. They...they don't know about the attacks, but..." She picked up the top one, flicking through until she reached the page she was looking for. James read the title she pointed at.

"_Mysterious Fires Puzzle Authorities._"

"The Prophet aren't showing all of the attacks. You have to look in the muggle newspapers for...for signs, and stuff. And they seem to be attacking small areas where there's maybe one witch or wizard."

"You're scared."

"Terrified."

He nodded, slowly. "Look, if you're scared, go talk to Professor York about it. I can't help you, Evans."

"I didn't ask for your help," she snapped, standing up and gathering the books and papers. "I asked you for information, Potter. Thank you for that." With that, she turned and stalked away, leaving James to his own thoughts.

X X X

Remus stood at the back of the empty classroom, watching as Peter pointed his wand at the quill on the desk nearest to him. He cast the spell, groaning when the quill shook then stopped. Remus glanced towards Sirius. The dark haired boy was sitting on what, he assumed, was once a teacher's desk. His eyes were fixed on nothing in particular, staring into space.

Sirius had mastered the spell easily enough. Like James, he was clever enough to do it once he actually focused. But it was the focusing part Remus was having trouble with. It was all well and good going through the theory of the different subjects, but Sirius only seemed engaged when he had his wand in his hand and was performing a spell.

Right now, he looked thoroughly bored.

"Sirius!" Remus snapped, whipping out his wand. Sirius' head snapped around to look at Remus, and suddenly his own wand was out, pointing at the boy. "Expel..."

"Expelliarmus!" Sirius' voice echoed around the room, and Remus grinned at him as the spell hit his wand. It fell to the floor, and Remus gave Sirius a curt nod.

"Good, you're learning."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Hang on, shouldn't the wand come to me?"

"If the wizard is powerful enough," Remus explained. "And the wand wills it. I just think we're not powerful enough, yet."

"Wingardium Leviosa!"

A grin broke across Peter's face as the quill rose into the air. Remus cheered when it remained there, Peter directing it with his wand.

"Well done, Pete!" Remus bounded across the classroom and clapped the boy on the back. Sirius nodded in agreement.

"I couldn't have done it without you, Remus," Peter muttered, letting the quill drop. He turned to the other boy. "Thanks."

"He's right, you know," Sirius sighed. "Hey, Remus, reckon you'll become a teacher after we finish school?"

"Yeah, you could teach Snape and Evans' kids."

The boys turned to see James standing in the doorway, carrying a pile of books. He stepped inside, a frown on his face as he dumped the books on one of the front row desks.

"How's it coming?" he asked, glancing up at the other boys.

"Peter just levitated a quill," Sirius explained, gesturing to the object. "Finally."

"Nice work, Pete."

"Are you okay?" Remus took a step towards the boy. James avoided his gaze, keeping his eyes fixed on the books. "James?"

"Just..fine. Thinking about something, that's all."

"Well, don't think too hard!" Sirius chuckled, stepping towards him. "Don't want your head to explode before the exams."

Remus checked his watch. "We should go. Transfiguration Theory Revision starts soon."

The boys nodded and, this time, there were no protests. They filed out of the room and headed for McGonagall's classroom.

X X X

When they arrived, it was to walk in on a similar scene to the one they had found in the Defence classroom that morning. A few students from the different hours were gathered in the room, and Professor McGonagall, in her cat form, sat on her desk up front. Everyone was silent.

James, Sirius, Peter and Remus sat themselves on the only spare row, three rows from the front. They took out their parchment and quills and waited, patiently, for Professor McGonagall to begin. The tabby looked towards the hourglass at the side of the classroom, and continued to make them wait.

Finally, after a few more students trickled in, she leapt off the desk and, in front of them, transformed into her human self. They'd all seen the 'trick' before, but still, some of them gasped. She smiled around at them.

"As we are now five minutes past the starting time," she drawled, "I am going to assume that everyone who is attending is already here. Now, first, I would like to address any questions you may have on the theory of Transfiguration."

Just as they had that morning, half the class put their hands up. One by one, she picked out students and answered their questions, going into depth on some of the more complicated theories. Quills scribbled across pages throughout the room, as the students eagerly took down notes.

Once the questions had been answered, McGonagall began going through additional information, feeding them the ideas they would need to get in their head to pass the exam.

The hour passed, and the students once more filtered out. The majority headed to the library, no doubt looking for extra reading. As they were on their way back to the Gryffindor Common Room, they passed Andromeda Black. She gave Sirius a quick nod, before gesturing to the same disused classroom they had used to practice their spells.

"Sirius," she hissed, this time nodding at the door.

"I'll meet you back at the common room," he muttered, and James, Remus and Peter dashed off, as Sirius headed for the class on the heels of his cousin. They stepped inside, and she whispered a spell, running her wand over the door.

"So no one will overhear us," she explained, before turning to him. "There have been more attacks."

"None of them have been in the Prophet," he replied, frowning as she leant on one of the desks. He had never seen his cousin look so worried; there were dark circles under her eyes, and her skin was pale. "Andromeda? What's wrong?"

"I...I'm scared that you were right. I don't think Narcissa and Bella are involved, yet, but that pureblood Mother wants Narcissa to marry, Lucius Malfoy, I'm sure he's involved, somehow."

Sirius nodded, stepping forward. "Why are you telling me this? I thought you said I shouldn't get involved."

"Because tensions are rising, Sirius, and I'm scared we're going to get caught in the middle of it." She let out a deep sigh. "I'm so scared, Sirius. We need to stick together. And I figured, if there was anyone in this family I could trust, it would be you. Have you heard anything from your brother?"

Sirius frowned, trying to think of the last time he'd had a letter from Reg. "Not for a while, why?"

"He looks up to you, Sirius. When you go home, spend time with him. I'm worried they're going to brainwash him. They're going to push onto him the ideals they hold as their own; you need to stop him from that."

Sirius nodded, agreeing completely with his cousin's statement. She reached out, taking his hands in hers and squeezing gently.

"I'll keep an eye out for you, Sirius."

"Black sheep," he chuckled. "We need to stick together, right?"

She nodded, dropped his hands and hesitated. Then, suddenly, she threw her arms around him, squeezing tightly.

"Be careful."

"You too," he whispered.

**A/N: so, we're almost at the end of this. As always, thoughts are more than welcome.I also have a poll up on my profile so please, check it out and cast your vote - what you pick is, basically, going to decide what I write next on here. And if you're interested in non-fanfic fiction, I have an account on fictionpress under the same name so, again, feel free to check that out. Cheers.**


	28. Chapter Twenty Seven

On the last day of the first week of the exams, the first years were gathered at the back of the Charms classroom, waiting for their first practical exam.

Remus was shaking slightly, head bowed as he mentally ran through spells in his head. Peter was muttering under his breath, while James and Sirius were more than calm. They sent glances towards the other two, every so often telling them not to worry. Remus lifted his head, fixing the other two with a cool glare.

"It's okay for you; you're both amazing at casting spells."

"Yeah, but I bet you kicked our butts in theory," James replied. "Remus, don't worry. You're going to be a great wizard, and you're going to pass these exams, no problem. If you don't, then we're all screwed."

Remus could only give him a shaky grin.

Lily stood not too far away, standing close to Alice. She glanced over at the boys, eyeing Remus, as he shuffled in his spot. When James looked at her, she turned her gaze away, focusing instead on Alice. Around them, people were discussing the spells, speculating over what they would be asked to do.

The door at the back of the room opened, and Professor Flitwick stepped in, beaming at them all.

"I'm going to call you in one by one," he explained, before calling the first student forward. They disappeared out the door, leaving the others still wondering about the exam.

Alphabetically, they disappeared through the door, and were gone for the reminder of the exam. Remus took a deep breath, watching as Sirius darted forward, smiling confidently.

Soon, it was approaching Remus' turn. His fingers were wrapped tightly around his wand, as he continued to run through a spell list in his head. James insisted that he'd be fine, and Peter agreed eagerly. His name was called, and James clapped him on the back.

"Good luck," he whispered, as Remus strode across the classroom and opened the door. The Professor had barely opened his mouth to speak when they heard the door open in the next room. Moments later, the door to the small office flew opened and in stumbled Professor York.

His face was white as his eyes landed on the small Professor.

"Call off the exams." His voice was quick, rushed. "Emergency staff meeting."

Professor Flitwick nodded, gesturing Remus out the door and back into the classroom.

Remus stumbled into the room, trying to ignore the eyes falling on him as the professors announced the current cancellation of the exams.

"You will be alerted to another date," Professor Flitwick told them, before following Professor York out of the room. Remus looked at James and Peter, who both shrugged.

"Did you have to do anything?" Peter asked. "You didn't seem in there long enough..."

"No," Remus muttered, as James picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder. He looked worried, as the students left the room and began to make their way to their respective common rooms, all talking about why the exam might have been cancelled. "Something serious must have happened," he whispered. "I mean, the look on Professor York's face..."

James nodded, as they came into sight of the Fat Lady.

Alice wasn't far behind them, her head bowed and her arms wrapped around the books she was carrying. Before they reached the Common Room, she called for them to stop. James glanced around, as Alice ran the last few steps to reach them.

"Lily is going to freak out," she panted, eyes darting between the three. "She's panicked enough as it is."

James shrugged. "Nothing to do with us."

Remus rolled his eyes. "Look, you don't have to tell her...tell her about York bursting in. For now, just say something happened to Professor Flitwick and we got our exams postponed. We'll back you up, won't we, James?"

"Sure," he groaned, before giving the password to the portrait.

"Thanks, Remus." Alice shifted past them. "Really, thanks."

She disappeared inside, and the three boys followed.

Everyone looked more than a little surprised to see them arrive. Alice had been right; as soon as Lily saw them, she leapt up, wild fear shining in her eyes. Alice darted to her, pushing her back down onto her seat and speaking rapidly to her. James, Peter and Remus headed over to the fireplace, where Sirius had his head buried in a book.

He glanced up, frowned, and then questioned their early return.

"Exam got postponed," James whispered, leaning towards him. "Professor York came bursting in, took Flitwick off to an emergency meeting."

"That doesn't sound good," Sirius muttered, putting the book down and hooking his fingers together. "Do you think it has to do with Caedmon not being around?"

"Of course it is," James replied. "I mean, it can't just be a coincidence, can it?"

"And there have been more attacks." Sirius dropped his hand, rubbing his fingers against the bridge of his nose.

"The Prophet aren't reporting on them," James explained, eyes darting around the other boys.

"Why wouldn't they?" Peter whimpered.

"Because they don't want to cause a panic." Remus gazed thoughtfully into the fire, trying to piece it all together. It didn't make sense.

James slumped down in his seat, glancing towards Lily and Alice. They were chatting, happily enough, and he knew Alice hadn't told her the truth. Instead, he'd lied to her, as Remus had suggested. Something told James that it would, eventually, backfire.

Lily would find out. After all, news travelled too quickly around Hogwarts for her not to.

X X X 

When they went to the Great Hall for dinner that evening, there was a sombre mood there, radiating from the teacher's table. James, Remus, Sirius and Peter slid into place on the Gryffindor table. The students were, for the most part, quiet.

Only the Slytherins were making noises above whispering.

James leant towards Arthur, sitting slightly down from them. "Weasley," he hissed. "What's going on?"

"We don't know," he replied, eyes dark. "Sorry, Potter. They haven't told us anything."

James returned his attention to the table. The teachers sat quietly; Professor McGonagall had tears in her eyes, whilst York was visibly shaking. Slughorn looked at a loss. Professor Dumbledore, in the middle of them all, sat with his fingers forming a steeple, looking out at the students.

Finally, it seemed that the whole school were present.

Most nights, the food was waiting for them when they arrived in the hall. Now, the tables were empty as Professor Dumbledore stood up and surveyed the hall. Everyone, including the Slytherins, fell completely silent.

Without a word, the Head waved his wand. The banners that showed each of the four houses colours and animal changed, until they were all black.

"These will remain like this for the next week," he explained, eyes darting around the hall. "In remembrance for a brave man and a brilliant wizard. I want you to remember him, all of you, as I am sure you will. This is for our fallen, Gawain Caedmon."

There were gasps around the hall; the Ravenclaws, clearly, were the most shaken. Sobs could be heard from some of the girls. Like a tidal wave, the shock and horror of it fled around the room.

"Professor Caedmon was a brave man, and his death has...has come prematurely. There are many who would prefer I do not speak of this, but you have a right to know. Gawain Caedmon was looking into the recent events that have plagued our world, and was murdered in doing so."

More gasps, more shock. The whole room seemed to be shaking. James stared steadily ahead, his face a mask.

"I ask you to be weary. You will return home in a few weeks and the world is a more dangerous place than how you left it last summer or even at Christmas. Due to...recent events, exams have been postponed, with the possibility of being cancelled completely. I ask you to use these last few weeks at this school, to make the most of them. Prepare for the following year, or simply enjoy the company of friends. A memorial will be held to Professor Caedmon near the end of next week."

With that, Professor Dumbledore sank into his seat. Food appeared on the tables and students began to dig in, though some just stared at the dinner with unfocused eyes.

It was clear that the news had shaken all those in the Great Hall. Students remained, for the most part, silent as they ate, sometimes whispering or muttering to each other, but none daring to speak the name Caedmon. Eventually, it seemed, some broke. Students hastily left the hall, friends with their arms wrapped around each other, supporting each other. Some of the girls openly cried; others tried to hide their tears as they rushed out, eager to lock themselves in privacy.

Once a third of the students had left, Professor McGonagall rose from her seat, Professor Flitwick following. Together, they left. Lily and Alice left most of the food on their plates untouched, leaving the hall together. Severus Snape followed, and after that, James stopped paying attention.

"Not hungry, mate?" Sirius asked, a hint of concern in his voice. Peter eagerly eyed the food.

"No," James sighed. "Here, Pete, have it." He pushed the plate towards Peter, before his eyes shifted to Remus. The smaller boy ate slowly, staring at his plate as his fork mechanically rose up and down. "Remus? You okay?"

Remus looked almost surprised to see other people around him. He nodded, before glancing at Peter, now reaching forward and nabbing the food from James' plate.

"Yeah, fine."

James leant back, crossing his arms. The hall was even emptier, now, as more students left. Only the Slytherin table, with the exception of a few, remained unaffected. A loud laugh echoed around the room, and Sirius winced.

"Bella," he whispered, glaring down at his plate. He didn't even look to see who it was. "I bet they're bloody loving this."

James frowned, eyes darting up to stare at the two Slytherin Black sisters. "Then maybe we should teach them a lesson." He glanced around, before standing up. "Come on, I have an idea."

The other three followed, and soon they were standing outside the Great Hall, hiding in a nearby broom closet. James held his wand out, keeping an eye through the crack. He'd told the others his plan, and happily they'd agreed.

They waited a long time.

James watched as student after student left the hall, though not the ones they were looking for. The most interesting thing he saw came, not from the hall, but from the large doors that led into the grounds of Hogwarts. He frowned as Lily and Snape strode past, Lily sniffing as Snape muttered something none of the boys could hear.

His eyes followed them until they disappeared from sight, before snapping back to the Great Hall doors.

"Come on," Sirius muttered behind him.

"How long does it take them to eat?" Peter whimpered, shifting his body. Remus let out an 'ouch'.

"Pete, that was my foot!"

"It can take those two ages," Sirius sighed. "Having been taught to eat like _ladies _and all that crap."

"If they're ladies, then I'm Merlin," James hissed.

Sirius chuckled, only to be quickly silenced by James. He gestured to the crack, lifted his wand and pointed it through, shifting slightly out of the way.

"There's a group of them," he whispered, as Sirius, Remus and Peter put their own wands into position.

Together, they whispered the spell. Four jets of light shot out from their wands, hitting the Slytherins. Seconds later, there were loud cries and screeches echoing around the hall. The boys burst into laughter, trying in vain to keep their hands covering their mouths.

The door to the cupboard was wrenched open, to reveal Bellatrix Black, looking absolutely furious with red and gold streaked hair. She glared down at the boys. Their laughter stopped suddenly. Sirius grinned.

"Bella." He bowed his head, before the four boys took off, squeezing under Bellatrix's arms and running for the stairs. Peter was the first to be caught. Lucius Malfoy reached out and easily grabbed him by his collar.

"Run!" he cried, as Lucius turned his wand on him.

"You little rat!" he hissed. "You'll pay for this!"

Remus was already halfway up the stairs, Bellatrix racing after him. Sirius and James had made it to the top, but both now turned around and pointed their wands at Lucius.

"Petrificus Totalus!" they cried, their voices almost merging together as the spell hit the Slytherin. Narcissa let out a wail as his body stiffened, and he fell to the floor.

Peter began to run again, only to have Bellatrix shoot a spell at him from her own wand. The Jelly-legs jinx.

"Just go!" he screeched.

Bellatrix turned her wand on Remus.

Without a moment's thought, he cast a spell of his own. Bellatrix began to laugh uncontrollably, her arms clutched around her stomach, unable to form any words. It was Narcissa who cast the next spell, but her voice was shaking and Remus easily dodged it, leaping up the stairs to join Sirius and James at the top.

"What is the meaning of this!"

The voice boomed from the doors of the Great Hall, and both sets of students froze, eyes wide with fear as they turned to see Professor Dumbledore surveying the scene, pure anger flashing in his eyes. Professor Slughorn stood beside him, shaking his head, and on the other side, Professor York. "How dare you!" Dumbledore cried, stepping forward. With a wave of his wand, all the curses stopped. Bellatrix's laughter drifted away, Peter collapsed to the floor, panting, and Lucius lifted himself up, glaring at the younger students. The Slytherin's hair changed back to their normal colours.

James, Sirius and Remus stared down at the Professors, the Slytherins and Peter. All the students looked sheepish, and Dumbledore's eyes roamed over them. He clutched his wand tightly, shaking his head.

"Twenty points, each of you. Detentions will be sorted out separately." With that, he strode off, Professor York and Professor Slughorn following close behind. Lucius turned, glaring at James and Sirius.

"Don't think your mother won't hear about this, Black," Lucius hissed, before he and the other Slytherins stalked off to their dungeon common room. Peter climbed the stairs, slowly, panting as he reached his friends.

"Well," Remus muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. His eyes fell on the hourglasses outside the hall, watching as the grains lifted up, placing Ravenclaw in first, Hufflepuff in second, Gryffindor in third and Slytherin last. "That...wasn't a good idea."

"No," James agreed, running a hand through his hair. "Come on, let's get back."


	29. Chapter Twenty Eight

"I can't believe you four." Professor York glared at them from behind his desk. "How could you think _that_was an appropriate time to start a duel with the Slytherin students?"

Despite the urge to defend himself, James remained quiet. His head was bowed, his hair falling over his glasses as he stared down at his feet. Peter shifted uncomfortably next to him, while Remus remained as still as a statue. Sirius was visibly shaking, though not at any threat he faced from his school. His thoughts were focused on what Lucius had said, about how his mother was going to hear about what he had done.

She would kill him.

"You are lucky you are not being suspended. After the trouble you have been in this year..." Professor York paused, sighing as he sank into his chair. He rubbed his head, closing his eyes. "I would have thought that you would have been more respectful towards Professor Caedmon's memory."

"We didn't do it out of disrespect, sir," James muttered, lifting his head. "The Slytherins didn't seem to care, so..."

"That doesn't matter," York hissed, eyes fixing on James. "Potter, it doesn't matter who you think doesn't seem to care or who does. The feelings of the students are not your concern, nor is it ours. Simply being unaffected by an event is not just cause for punishment."

James opened his mouth once more, only to have York wave him silent.

"Don't get me wrong; any disrespect will be taken seriously, but they were not being disrespectful. By attacking them, by starting a duel, _you_were disrespectful."

"It wasn't meant to be a duel, sir," Sirius whimpered. "We only wanted to pull a prank; we didn't think it would...would..."

"Escalate?" York sighed, eyes roaming over them. "I know you are not bad children, and I know you all admired Professor Caedmon. But you need to be more aware of how your pranks, as harmless as you think they are, affect the whole school. Dumbledore does not know each individual student here; he was very close to Professor Caedmon and for him to see that happened after the announcement..."

"We know, sir," Remus interrupted, lifting his head up. "And we are sorry. Extremely sorry. I..."

York lifted his hand, silencing the boy. "It's nearly the end of term; we have no chance now to regain those points. It's simply too late. Especially with classes over." He shook his head, leaning back. "But, well, the same goes for Slytherin. I do believe Slughorn will make the Slytherin students clean his cauldrons for the next week or so. I want you four to report to the Quidditch Pitch every morning at six A.M. You're going to help me look after the pitch. Understand?"

"Yes, sir."

They repeated the words, one by one, as his eyes fell on them. Once they were done, he waved them towards the door.

"Dismissed. I will see you, bright and early, tomorrow."

X X X 

The next morning, the four boys slumped down at the table for breakfast, all of them with half-asleep faces and glazed eyes. Arthur Weasley looked over them, an eyebrow raised.

"You can't say you don't deserve it."

From across the table, a second year turned to them, frowning. "Are you the boys that made sure we had no chance of winning the cup?"

James glared back at him. "Yeah, because that is the most important thing in the world right now."

"You still shouldn't have done it." The quiet voice came from further down, and they turned to see Lily Evans staring at them, her eyes wide and dark circles underneath them. For once, she wasn't glaring at James or Sirius; instead, she just looked upset. "It wasn't right."

"They deserved it," Sirius mumbled, reaching to grab himself some sausages. "They should learn to show some more respect."

Lily rolled her eyes, turning to the food in front of her. "Sure, Sirius. They're the ones who need to learn respect."

"What's that supposed to mean?" he snapped, turning his head to face her fully.

She lifted her chin, dropping her knife and fork on the table. Alice, sitting opposite her, glanced towards Sirius, shaking her head. "You know what it means, Sirius," Lily growled, standing and walking briskly out of the hall.

"Merlin, Black," Alice sighed, standing. "Can't you keep your mouth shut for once?" That said, she turned her followed her friend out of the hall.

Sirius turned to the others. "She needs to get that stick out of her arse."

"Leave her alone, Sirius," James muttered. "Everyone's feeling a bit rubbish at the moment, no need to cause arguments in our own house."

The others around them turned away, focusing on their own food or conversations with their friends. The four boys soon realised they were being shunned; William and Michael barely looked at them, while everyone else shuffled along the benches, away from them.

"Great," James muttered, finishing his food and pushing the plate away. "This is just bloody great." He climbed off the bench, stuffed his hands in his pockets and turned away from the table.

"Where you going, mate?" Sirius asked, mouth full of cereal.

"To sleep," James replied. "I am knackered."

X X X

Sirius and Peter elected to remain in the Common Room when they returned to Gryffindor Tower. Sirius fished out a pair of Exploding Snap cards from his bag, dealing half out to Peter as Remus climbed the stairs to the dorm, with the intention of reading a book.

When he reached the dorm, he was surprised to see James' bed empty, the curtains pulled back. Curious, he crossed to the window and glanced across the grounds, wondering where his friend could be.

He saw a few students in the grounds, enjoying the freedom and the sunshine, but no James. Then, he lifted his gaze and fixed it on the Quidditch Pitch. An idea struck him and, following it, he went back to the Common Room.

"Ran out of books," he muttered to Sirius and Peter. "Going to go to the library."

"Okay, mate," Sirius replied. "If we're not here when you get back, we'll be by the lake."

"Okay." For some reason, he hadn't wanted to tell the other two that James wasn't in the dorm as he said. He'd clearly wanted to keep it a secret, whatever he was doing, and although Remus was eager to find out why, he wasn't to divulge it to the other two.

Not yet.

He owed James at least that much.

Quickly, Remus made his way down to the pitch. Outside, people celebrated their freedom, enjoying the bright sunshine that stretched across the grounds of the school. Groups were gathered in various places, chatting happily or chancing each other around. Despite the sorrow of Caedmon's death, they were enjoying themselves.

Or trying to, at least.

Reaching the pitch, Remus slid in between the stands and stood at the side of the grass, tilting his head back to stare into the sky. A small smile crept across his face as he spotted James in the air, flying one of the school's broomsticks as he threw a quaffle forward and chased after it.

The broom shook and quivered under him, but he kept his control on the thing. Soon, he was under the ball, and easily, the dark haired boy caught it.

Remus clapped.

With the quaffle under his arm, James turned and glanced downwards. He nodded quickly at Remus, before pointing the broom downwards and flying towards the ground. Easily, gracefully, he landed, climbing off the 'stick and walking towards Remus.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, voice light as he reached the other boy.

"Looking for you," Remus muttered, eyeing the quaffle. "Good catch."

James' skin flushed red. "Thanks." He glanced at the big red ball in his hands, before his eyes darted back up to look at Remus. "So how come you were looking for me?"

"I got to the dorm and you weren't there," he said. "Figured you'd be around somewhere...is everything all right?"

James shrugged, glancing away from the other boy and eyeing the goals at the furthest end of the pitch. He let out a long sigh, pushing his glasses up his nose as he did so. "I just wanted to get some practice in, that's all. I want to be the best I can be for the try-outs next term."

"You going for Chaser?"

James nodded. "The current captain has try-outs every year. He's still going to be the captain next year. Fingers crossed I can make the team."

"You will," Remus muttered, reaching forward and squeezing his friend's shoulder. "You will, James. You're a really good flyer – even York was amazed."

James nodded, before looking back at Remus.

"Why did you hide it, though? Why didn't you tell us?"

"Because then Sirius and Peter would have wanted to come, too. And I wanted to practice on my own, for a bit."

Remus nodded, glancing around the pitch as he pushed his hands into his pockets. "I should head back to the castle, then..."

James shrugged, eyes darting to glance around the pitch before he looked back at the smaller boy. "You really do hate flying, don't you, Remus?"

The smaller boy laughed. "Yeah, I do."

"Why, though?"

Remus sighed. "Whenever I get on a broom, I get this...this feeling, inside, of dread, I suppose. And then it feels like the wolf is just itching to get out, to escape...I think it's the wolf. _It_doesn't like flying, so it does everything in its power to stop me from flying. And it works, I suppose."

James nodded, before crossing to the crate of balls nearby. "I'll come with you. I'm going to tire myself out if I keep at it for too long." A small, slow smile crept across his face as he dropped the ball in and glanced at Remus. "You're a good friend, Remus."

"Thanks," Remus muttered, shrugging. "You are, too."

X X X

The four boys met up on the edge of the lake. They spent the rest of the day relaxing, throwing pebbles into the lake in an attempt to lure the Giant Squid to the surface. Things, it seemed, were returning to normal, as students continued to enjoy the sunshine and the freedom of an early start to the summer.

"What are your plans for the summer?" Sirius asked, after another failed attempt to draw the squid up.

"My parents want to go to travelling," Peter sighed.

"That sounds exciting," Remus commented, glancing at the smallest of their group as he frowned.

"I hate travelling. It's always too hot. And the food is odd."

The other three laughed. "Where do you think you'll be going?" James asked, seemingly eager to hear about it. Peter shrugged.

"It depends on what they want. Might be Europe, America or Australia." Again, he sighed, shaking his head. "I hate travelling."

"James? What about you?" Sirius glanced at the dark haired boy, who shrugged. "Remus?"

"I have no idea," Remus muttered. "We can't really afford to go on holidays."

"Well, if you get bored, I'm sure Mum and Dad wouldn't mind you coming to stay with us for a few days," James said, a wide smile on his face. "We usually go to Wales for a couple of days – they don't like going abroad too much. Hey! Maybe you guys could come with us?"

Sirius shrugged, eyes falling to look into the lake. "I don't know. Doubt Mum will let me out of her sight the whole summer." A strained smile crossed his face, his eyes darkening. "Anyway, she considers the Potters to be muggle loving blood traitors. Doubt she'd let me even come visit."

"She think anything of the Lupins?" Remus asked, glancing at Sirius. "Or the Pettigrews?"

Sirius scoffed. "Not worth thinking about, apparently," he mumbled. "She blew her top when she found out I was friends with you guys...blood-traitors and lowly beings." He grinned, turning to them. "Which makes it all the better, really. Rather hang out with you lot than Malfoy and his kind."

"Say you're coming on holiday with us," Peter piped up, shrugging. "My parents work at the Ministry, she can't have much objection to that, surely?"

"Maybe not...actually, yeah, I'll try, but I can't promise anything."

"Good," James muttered. "Then that's sorted. I'll write to you guys as soon as..."

He was stopped by the loud screeching that came from above the Forbidden Forest. The boys weren't the only ones to hear it – everyone gathered outside Hogwarts turned to see a large group of owls flying over the forest and towards the school.

"Some of them," James whispered, eyeing them with pure shock on his face. "Some of them...they're injured..."

They watched as one of the owls fell, falling straight towards the forest. An older student, across the lake, leapt to his feet and pointed at the owl. He cried out a spell, one the boys had yet to learn, and they watched as the owl stopped falling, hovering over the forest. With his wand, the older boy brought the owl towards him.

The owls were almost directly above them now, giving them a clearer view of the extent of their injuries. Many of them flew with damaged wings, and as they watched, more began to fall.

Sirius swore under his breath as, following the other boy's example, more students climbed to their feet and aimed spells at the owls, slowing their falls or stopping them falling into the lake.

"There must be fifteen of them," Remus muttered, lifting his wand as another owl began to fall. "Wingardium Leviosa!" he cried, gently bringing the owl down. Sirius held his arms out, and Remus brought the owl into his hold. The rest of the owls continued to fly, heading, it seemed, for Dumbledore's office.

The few that made the journey without falling entered the office through the window, disappearing from sight. The students gazed around at each other, wondering what to do with the injured owls they were now holding.

Before any decision could be made, Dumbledore's voice boomed from the office.

"Please bring all injured owls to the Great Hall. Thank you for your quick thinking."

As one, shaken and confused, the students moved towards the castle, silence wrapping around them quicker than the owls had fallen.


	30. Chapter Twenty Nine

There were around twenty students gathered in the hall, just under half of them carrying owls. The doors near the teachers table opened, and along with Dumbledore, in stepped Madam Pomfrey and Hagrid. Dumbledore glanced around at them, eyeing the students carefully holding the owls. Some held them gently in their arms, others had used jackets as make-shift mini-stretchers.

Hagrid and Pomfrey darted forward, before the door near the table opened once more and Professor Kettleburn, the Care of Magical Creatures teacher, entered. He took a deep breath, before moving between the students along with the other two, casting quick spells over the owls before issuing orders to Pomfrey and Hagrid. Carefully, they peeled the letters off the legs of the owls.

Hagrid took the letters to the headmaster, as Kettleburn instructed the students to carefully place the owls on the table. Once he had checked them all over, he turned to Dumbledore and gave a quick nod. Dumbledore waved his wand in the air and, suddenly, around the table with the owls on, the house elves appeared.

"Take them to the Owlery," Kettleburn instructed, and as quickly as they appeared, the elves – and the owls – were gone. Dumbledore glanced over the students.

"Ten points each," he muttered, sighing as he glanced at the letters in his hands. "For rescuing the owls and helping with them. Thank you."

With that, he and the other three left, once more through the door near the teacher's table.

James glanced at Remus.

"What do you think..."

"I don't know," Remus whispered. "But whatever it is, it can't be good."

X X X

That evening, at the meal, the majority of the teachers were absent. Remus stared at the table, a thoughtful look on his face as the others picked at their food. Around them, people chatted happily, the main topic of conversation the same as it had been for the last couple of days; the summer holidays.

Those who had witnessed the owls falling, those who had saved them, were more subdued than their peers. James stared at his food, picking at it as Peter filled his face.

"How can you eat so much?" Sirius asked, shaking his head as Peter stuffed another bite of pork chop into his mouth.

"Comfort eating," Peter mumbled, swallowing and letting out a deep breath. "It's how I cope."

Sirius nodded, as he glanced at Remus. "What's on your mind, Remus?"

"Something's happening," Remus whispered, turning to face Sirius. "Can't you feel it? Everything's changing."

Sirius frowned, glancing down at his food. "You sure about that, Remus? I wouldn't say everything was changing."

"No, he's right," James whispered, shaking his head. "He's right. It is. It's like you can feel it in the air, you can just tell. And all the crazy stuff that's been happening recently, it's not all coincidental. It's all tied in, somehow, and...and it's like, there has to be more to come. And worse."

Remus nodded, before their conversation was interrupted by a large amount of owls flying into the room. The owls split up, heading to different tables as students watched them, whispering and wondering why there was post being delivered so late.

Suddenly, Remus hand trembled. His eyes locked onto one owl that flew above them, and he recognised it instantly. It was the owl his parents had brought earlier in the year, the one they had used to send him letters and packages.

"Remus?" Peter whispered. "Remus? Are you okay?"

The owl swooped down, landing just in front of Remus and pecking at his hand. Remus grabbed a piece of meat from his plate and threw it to the owl. It was snatched from the air, as Remus slowly took the letter from his leg. The owl flew off, and Remus knew it would wait in the Owlery for a few days.

Another owl landed in front of Sirius. Seconds later, James' parents' owl crashed to the floor behind him, and the owl belonging to Peter's family elegantly landed in front of him. The boys looked at each other before gazing around the hall.

Only a handful of students did not have post.

"I've never seen this many letters," James muttered, opening his. The boys fell silent as they read their individual parchments. Sirius' face paled.

"It must be bad," he whimpered, lifting his head as he looked around at them. "Mum's asking if I'm okay...I think she's worried. There's a letter here from Reg, too, but it doesn't say much..."

"There's no new information here," James replied, shaking his head. "But...yeah, Mum and Dad seem really worried. They said to reply ASAP."

Remus and Peter both nodded. "Dad said Mum is really freaking out," Peter sighed. "She's...he said she's been acting weird since 'all of this started happening'. But what is 'all of this'?"

"I guess we'll find out when we get home," Sirius sighed.

Remus put the letter down, before resting his head in his hands. "I thought something had happened to them..."

Suddenly, loud crying burst through the hall. A girl at the Hufflepuff table leapt to her feet and ran from the hall, her friends' following. A boy from the Gryffindor table, a Second Year, stood and followed.

"That's his sister," one of the other Second Years explained, seeing everyone gazing at the now empty spot. "They have a Muggle-born mother..."

Lily stared openly at the spot. There was no owl in front of her, no post from her parents. Her eyes darted around the hall as people began to leave, moving quickly to the doors. Everyone moved in packs, in groups, gathered tightly together as they left.

Alice glanced up from the letter, spotting Lily's gaze. "Lily, look – none of the other Muggle-borns have post, either."

"Maybe it's a wizard thing," Sirius muttered, jamming his fork into his piece of pork. "Maybe, whatever has happened, it hasn't reached the muggle-world yet."

"Maybe," Lily replied, glancing at Alice. "Come to the Owlery with me?"

"Sure. I want to write back to my parents, anyway."

They left, and the boys glanced at each other.

"Do you think you were right?" James asked. "That it hasn't reached the Muggles yet?"

He nodded. "Lily worries too much. Her family will be fine."

James nodded, although his eyes still followed Lily as she left the hall.

X X X

Everyone was rushing around. With only a day to go until the last day of the year, people were busy finding items to pack, tracking down friends from other houses who they had leant books or quills to. It had been a few days since the owls, and so far, nothing else had happened.

The teachers seemed, again, subdued, and wondered the castles almost at a loss. With the exams outside of OWLs and NEWTs cancelled, they had very little to do. McGonagall and Flitwick patrolled the halls, and were often seen deep in discussion with each other. Professor York seemed more shaken than any of the others. Most of the time, the students saw him on the Quidditch Pitch, flying through the air, lost in his own thoughts.

In the afternoon, James once more headed to the pitch, eager to get in just a bit more practice, before the area he could fly in was restricted at home. He stood outside the changing room, lifting his gaze to the air to see York, as usual, flying through the air.

After a few minutes, the Gryffindor Head of House spotted James and flew towards him.

"Potter, something I can help you with?"

York lowered himself to the ground, surveying James carefully. The boy shifted in his spot, before taking a deep breath.

"I was just hoping to fly a bit, sir. I want to try for the house team next year."

A small smile crept across York's face. For the first time, James noticed the change that had come over the man. His skin was paler, the area around his eyes dark. York nodded.

"Of course. Would you like some help?"

James' face brightened, and he nodded.

Professor York gestured to the broom clutched in James' hand, and James climbed on. Seconds later, Professor and boy were flying up into the air. York turned to face him.

"Lighten the grip on the handle, boy. You need a light touch – if you hold too tightly, it will resist your turns."

James followed his instructions, as York took his wand from inside his jacket and pointed it towards the box sitting in the middle of the pitch. He muttered a spell, the box opened, and the quaffle inside shot up into the air. York grabbed it.

"I assume you are going for chaser, or keeper?"

James, again, nodded.

"Good. We have a good pair of beaters, and an excellent seeker. Second years usually do not make good beaters, and as for seekers...well, it's a difficult position. I would say you are more of a chaser, anyway. Which one are you going for?"

"Chaser, sir."

"Excellent." York flew upwards. "Then catch this." He threw the ball away from James. Immediately, James turned his broom around and bent low against it, feeling the wind against his skin, feeling it whipping through his hair. The quaffle began to fall, and James pointed the end of the broom down. He swooped down, just by a few inches, and managed to catch the large red ball.

When he glanced behind, it was to see York smiling.

"Good. Throw it back to me."

James threw it, watching as York swerved to the right and caught it. York turned, throwing it away from both of them and, without a word, James flew towards it. He dived, eyes locked on the ball, before turning his broom upwards and meeting the quaffle as it started to fall. Turning, he hurled it towards York. Together, the pair moved the ball towards the end of the pitch. Once they were in range of the goals, York flew towards them, turning and taking the position of Keeper.

James grinned, and went for a shot.

York easily caught the ball and threw it back. "Try again, Potter."

He did. Again and again and again he tried to get the ball past the professor, only to have York catch it every time. Finally, James decided to try something else. He threw the quaffle up, turned his broom and kicked it, hard. It sailed past York's outstretched hand and in through one of the hoops. James grinned, his face flushed as he looked at York.

"Good," York chuckled, turning his broom and flying to catch the quaffle. "Good, Potter. I expect, with just a little training over the summer, you'll easily get into the team."

"Thanks, sir."

Together, they flew back to the ground, climbing off their brooms. York held his hand out, and James passed over the school broom he had been using.

"Sir?"

"Yes, Potter?"

"The owls..."

York sighed, shaking his head. "Don't worry about it, James. Just enjoy your summer."

With that, Professor York headed off to the store cupboard, leaving James wondered why he had called him by his first rather than his last name.

X X X

The Common Room was busy with activity.

It was early evening, before the Leaving Feast. Most students were spending their last few hours in the castle with their friends, gathered together before they would be separated for the summer. Lily and Alice sat in the corner, Lily's knees pressed tightly to her chest as she spoke to Alice. Both girls seemed subdued, Lily more than Alice.

Sirius and Remus were having a game of Chess, while James and Peter played Exploding Snap. Other students were wasting their time in similar ways, simply trying to fill the hour before the feast. Finally, eventually, group by group they began to leave, heading down to the hall. Lily and Alice were among the first to go, and the boys waited a while before following a group of Sixth Years down to the Great Hall.

Although there was a buzz in the air, an excitement about the prospect of going home and having six weeks without work or worry, there was still a feeling in the air that all was not as right as it should have been. When they arrived at the Hall, it was to see the banners decorated in the Ravenclaw colours, with the eagle splashed everywhere. A few banners, mainly around the teacher's table, were black.

The students gathered at their tables, chatting among themselves as the teachers slowly filtered in. Eventually, Dumbledore arrived and stood at the front of the Great Hall. Silence fell over them.

"I am glad to see you all here, safe and sound. Many of you, I know, have been touched by losses this year, and together, we remember Professor Gawain Caedmon, a great man and a wonderful friend, who fell earlier this year. As well as this, remember your fellow students who have suffered the loss of friends and family." His eyes wondered around the hall, falling on the faces of those who had lost parents over the last few months.

They remained still, as the other students glanced towards them. Their faces did not move, although it was clear to see the tears in their eyes.

"All of our thoughts are with you. We send strength towards you, to cope in the next few months at home. Help will be found at this school for all those who need it, always. There are many who would not like me saying this, but you are about to enter a world more dangerous than how you left it. With that in mind, I pray you stay safe over the summer. Thank you."

He sat, and food appeared on the tables. They began to eat, no one unable to miss the silence that filled the hall.

X X X

On the Hogwarts Express, students ran up and down, once more eager to see all their friends before they went home for the holidays. James, Remus, Peter and Sirius had their own carriage, and the four lounged across their seats, eyeing the door as people rushed past.

James shook his head, turning away from the door and looking at the others. "Write to each other, yeah?"

The other three nodded.

"I'm scared," Peter whimpered. "With everything that's been going on..."

"We still don't know what's happening," Sirius muttered, running a hand through his hair. "We still don't have a clue. How come Dumbledore say all that crap without telling us why we need to stay safe?"

Remus shrugged. "Maybe they don't know..."

"Of course they know," James muttered. "Dumbledore must know. He's the most powerful wizard in the world, right? He knows. They just don't think we're strong enough to know."

There was a knock on the door, and the boys turned to see Andromeda Black standing on the other side of the door. She waved, before opening it and stepping it.

"Hey – Sirius, Mum sent an owl for us. Your mum can't meet you at the station, so we're taking you home."

Sirius groaned, rolling his eyes. "Seriously? I get to go with Narcissa and Bella? Oh, joy."

Andromeda chuckled. "At least you have me. And Reg is coming to the station to meet us, too."

Sirius' face brightened. "Well, at least that's something. 'Meda...do you have any idea what Dumbledore was on about?"

Andromeda sighed, backing out of the carriage and shaking her head. "Don't worry about it, Sirius. None of you worry about it, just enjoy your holidays." With that, she was gone, leaving the four boys staring at each other, wondering what was waiting for them in the outside world once they reached King's Cross.

_To Be Continued..._

**A/N: So, that's it, the end of the first year for POTU. As always, feedback is more than welcome; what do you think? Like? Dislike? Why? Favourite moment? Least favourite moment? Anything you really, really want to see in the second? And, if you want a say in what I actually write next, please, please check out the poll on my profile page. Thanks, and, of course, Merry Christmas!**


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